Rating Rationale
August 31, 2018 | Mumbai
Larsen and Toubro Infotech Limited
Ratings Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.900 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL AA+/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Short Term Rating CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its 'CRISIL AA+/Stable/CRISIL A1+' ratings on the bank facilities of Larsen and Toubro Infotech Limited (LTI).
 
The ratings continue to reflect the company's established market position in the banking, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and other segments such as energy and process, consumer packaged goods, retail, and pharmaceuticals. The ratings also factor in strong financial risk profile driven by absence of debt, strong cash accrual, and healthy liquidity. Furthermore, the company benefits from the implicit support received from its parent, Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T; 'CRISIL AAA/FAAA/Stable/CRISIL A1+'), and the strength of the L&T brand. These strengths are partially offset by customer and geographic concentration in revenue, and exposure to intense competition in the information technology (IT) industry in India.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the ratings, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of LTI and its subsidiaries, held directly or indirectly, as all the companies have a common management and are in the same business.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Healthy business risk profile, supported by established market position
The company has an established market position in key verticals and sound operating efficiency. Diversified service offerings such as application, development, maintenance; enterprise solutions; infrastructure management services; testing; analytics; and artificial intelligence (AI) strengthen its business risk profile.
 
* Strong financial risk profile
Financial risk profile is strong because of large networth, healthy cash accrual, and strong liquidity. As on March 31, 2018, the company had sizeable networth of Rs 3534 crore(CRISIL adjusted), resulting in a healthy capital structure. In addition, it has strong liquidity, indicated by cash and cash equivalent (including mutual funds) of Rs 1655 crore as on June 30, 2018.
 
* Implicit support from the parent
Being an L&T group company, LTI benefits from the strong brand and domain expertise available within the group, resulting in better penetration and acceptability in the market.
 
Weaknesses
* Customer and geographical concentration in revenue
Dependence on the US market is high with North America contributing 68% to total revenue, in fiscal 2018. Top five customers accounted for 36.8% (37.6% in fiscal 2017). While revenue concentration is similar to that of many peers, the company, like other players in the industry, will remain exposed to geo-political risks in the regions it operates. For instance, the recent protectionist measures adopted by the US pose a business challenge for the company as well as its peers.
 
* Exposure to intense competition in the IT industry
The business environment for the IT industry continues to be challenging. The slower growth seen in traditional, non-digital services has intensified competition and impacted billing rates. Customers' requirements are moving towards solution based, digital services, wherein India faces competition from well-entrenched world leaders. Increasing trend of in-sourcing by customers is also impacting growth. In this scenario, acquiring and retaining customers, maintaining an efficient cost structure, and ensuring effective labour retention and utilisation remain major challenges for Indian IT vendors.
Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes LTI will maintain its healthy business risk profile over the medium term, supported by steady revenue growth and sound operating efficiency. The financial risk profile is also expected to remain strong due to healthy cash accrual and absence of any debt-funded capital expenditure or acquisition plans.
 
Upside scenario
* Significant and sustained increase in scale of operations, improvement in revenue diversity, and stability of operating profitability
* Sustenance of healthy financial risk profile and liquidity
 
Downside scenario
* Low revenue growth or significant decrease in profitability
* Sizeable debt-funded expansion leading to weakening of debt protection metrics or liquidity

About the Company

LTI, headquartered in Mumbai, was incorporated in December 1996, and is a subsidiary of L&T. The company provides IT services, including application, development, maintenance; enterprise solutions; infrastructure management services; testing; analytics; and AI and cognitive services. In January 2014, the company transferred its product engineering services division to a group company, L&T Technology Services Ltd ('CRISIL AA+/Stable/CRISIL A1+').
 
LTI has offshore delivery centres in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai; global development centres in the US, Canada, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and Singapore; as well as various sales offices.
 
For the first three months of fiscal 2019, on a consolidated basis, the company reported profit after tax (PAT) was Rs 361.2 crore and total income of Rs 2262.8 crore, against a PAT of Rs 267.2 crore and total income of Rs 1782.6 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars Unit 2018 2017
Revenue Rs Cr 7314 6512
Profit after tax (PAT) Rs Cr 1112 971
PAT margin % 15.2 14.9
Adjusted debt/adjusted networth Times NA NA
Interest coverage Times NA 436.34
*CRISIL adjusted numbers

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of instrument Date of allotment Coupon rate(%) Maturity date Issue size (Rs crore) Rating assigned with  outlook
NA Bank guarantee* NA NA NA 25.0 CRISIL A1+
NA Bank guarantee** NA NA NA 50.0 CRISIL A1+
NA Bank guarantee^ NA NA NA 50.0 CRISIL AA+/Stable
NA Bank guarantee NA NA NA 263.0 CRISIL A1+
NA Packing credit NA NA NA 175.0 CRISIL A1+ 
NA Packing credit& NA NA NA 79.0 CRISIL A1+ 
NA Packing credit^^ NA NA NA 32.0 CRISIL AA+/Stable 
NA Packing credit% NA NA NA 30.0 CRISIL A1+ 
NA Packing credit@ NA NA NA 10.0 CRISIL AA+/Stable 
NA Proposed bank guarantee NA NA NA 173.0 CRISIL A1+
NA Proposed packing credit NA NA NA 13.0 CRISIL A1+
&Rs 26 crore interchangeable with bank guarantee
*Interchangeable with packing credit up to Rs 25 crore
**Rs 25 Crore interchangeable with buyer's credit limit
^Fully interchangeable with cash credit/overdraft facility and buyer's credit limits
^^ Interchangeable with cash credit/overdraft facility limits
%  Rs 28 crore interchangeable with buyer's credit limit
@ Overdraft Facility
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2018 (History) 2017  2016  2015  Start of 2015
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  339.00  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+      31-07-17  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+  04-04-16  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+  23-07-15  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+ 
                    17-03-15  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+   
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  561.00  CRISIL AA+/Stable/ CRISIL A1+      31-07-17  CRISIL A1+  04-04-16  CRISIL A1+  23-07-15  CRISIL A1+  CRISIL A1+ 
                    17-03-15  CRISIL A1+   
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of various bank facilities
Current facilities Previous facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating
Bank Guarantee* 25 CRISIL A1+ Bank Guarantee* 50 CRISIL A1+
Bank Guarantee** 50 CRISIL A1+ Bank Guarantee 177 CRISIL A1+
Bank Guarantee^ 50 CRISIL AA+/Stable Packing Credit 125 CRISIL A1+
Bank Guarantee 263 CRISIL A1+ Packing Credit& 79 CRISIL A1+
Packing Credit 175 CRISIL A1+ Packing Credit% 30 CRISIL A1+
Packing Credit& 79 CRISIL A1+ Packing Credit^^ 32 CRISIL AA+/Stable
Packing Credit% 30 CRISIL A1+ Packing Credit^ 50 CRISIL AA+/Stable
Packing Credit^^ 32 CRISIL AA+/Stable Packing Credit## 25 CRISIL AA+/Stable
Packing Credit@ 10 CRISIL AA+/Stable Packing Credit@@ 10 CRISIL AA+/Stable
Proposed Bank Guarantee 173 CRISIL A1+ Proposed Packing Credit 124 CRISIL A1+
Proposed Packing Credit 13 CRISIL A1+ Proposed Bank Guarantee 173 CRISIL A1+
-- 0 -- Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 25 CRISIL AA+/Stable
Total 900 -- Total 900 --
##Fully interchangeable with cash credit/overdraft facility and bank guarantee limits
&Rs 26 crore interchangeable with bank guarantee limits
@@Fully interchangeable with cash credit/overdraft facility
*Interchangeable with packing credit up to Rs 25 crore
**Rs 25 Crore interchangeable with buyer's credit limit
^Fully interchangeable with cash credit/overdraft facility and buyer's credit limits
^^Interchangeable with cash credit/overdraft facility limits
% Rs 28 crore interchangeable with buyer's credit limit
@Overdraft Facility
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
Rating Criteria for Software Industry

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