Detailed Narrative
HCL Technologies delivered a robust performance in Q3 FY26, reporting a revenue of $3.79 billion, which represents a 4.8% year-over-year and 4.2% quarter-over-quarter growth in constant currency terms. This quarter also marked a significant milestone as the company surpassed $15 billion in annualized revenue. The services business demonstrated strong momentum, growing 5% YoY and 1.8% QoQ, with Engineering and R&D Services (ERS) leading the charge at 10.8% YoY and 3.1% QoQ growth. HCLSoftware also contributed positively, growing 3.1% YoY and an impressive 28.1% QoQ, driven by seasonality and strong demand for its data intelligence portfolio, with annual recurring revenue (ARR) reaching $1.07 billion.
Profitability saw a healthy improvement, with the operating margin (excluding the one-time📎 impact of new labor code but including restructuring costs) at 18.6%, a 111 basis points increase QoQ. When adjusted for restructuring expenses, Q3 margins stood at 19.4%, only marginally down 13 basis points YoY. The company's Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) for the last 12 months improved significantly to 39.4%, up 277 basis points YoY. Strong cash generation was evident, with operating cash flow at $2.5 billion and free cash flow at $2.35 billion for the last 12 months. The diluted EPS for the last 12 months was INR 63.35, and an interim dividend of INR 12 per share was declared.
Strategic initiatives, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI), were highlighted as key growth drivers. HCLTech reported a 19.9% growth in advanced AI, fueled by Agentic physical AI and AI factory programs. The company's flagship AI Force platform is now deployed across 60 priority accounts, and over 38,000 employees have been trained in GenAI. Bookings were exceptionally strong, with net new bookings reaching $3 billion, a 43% YoY increase, including a mega 5-year strategic engagement worth $473 million with a global apparel retailer. Acquisitions during the quarter, including Telco Solutions Business from HPE and Jaspersoft and Wobby, are expected to further strengthen its offerings in telecom engineering and data and AI.
Management expressed high confidence in the company's growth trajectory, raising the full-year services revenue growth guidance to 4.75%-5.25% and the company-level revenue growth guidance to 4%-4.5% in constant currency terms. They reiterated their commitment to achieving a full-year EBIT margin guidance of 17%-18%. While acknowledging a one-off📎 restructuring cost impact of 50 basis points for the full year, with a similar impact expected in Q4, management aims to conclude this exercise by the end of the financial year. They also noted that the recurring impact of new labor laws on margins is expected to be limited to 10-20 basis points.
During the Q&A, management addressed the evolving landscape of AI adoption, emphasizing "Day -1" services like custom silicon for edge inferencing and AI factory services as immediate growth areas. They also foresee legacy modernization using AI as a "very big opportunity" in the next 2-3 years. While the manufacturing vertical showed mixed trends with good traction in aero & defense but muted industrial manufacturing, the overall outlook remains optimistic, driven by strategic investments in AI, a strong pipeline, and disciplined execution.