Mumbai

India's large-cap IT services companies reported a muted start to FY27, with artificial intelligence (AI)-led pricing pressure and geopolitical uncertainties, particularly the Middle East conflict, weighing on revenue growth even as companies increasingly turned to acquisitions to bolster business, according to an Anand Rathi report.

The report said revenue growth remained subdued during the June quarter, with median constant-currency sequential growth at around 0.35 per cent, while margins came under pressure from wage hikes, AI-driven deflation and competitive pricing.

"Revenue growth continue to remain weak with median CC q/q growth at ~0.35%... Despite INR depreciation (~3.3%), median EBIT margin stood at ~16.3%..., impacted by wage hikes..., AI-led deflation & competitive pricing pressure," the report said.

Despite the near-term slowdown, the brokerage noted that AI adoption is beginning to translate into revenue, although most projects remain deployment-led and short-term in nature.

"Despite the muted Q1 FY27 for Indian IT pack, we see that AI monetization is visible now. The sector has been going through a period of weakness due to AI-led deflation compounded by geo-political impact."

The report added that while demand recovery remains uneven across sectors and geographies, long-term structural drivers remain intact as enterprises continue investing in AI deployment, legacy modernisation, data optimisation and sovereign AI initiatives.

At the same time, inorganic growth emerged as a key theme during the quarter, with most leading IT firms pursuing acquisitions or strategic investments to strengthen capabilities and offset weak organic demand.

"On the inorganic front, nearly every company supplemented organic growth with M&A or capex this quarter."

Among notable transactions, LTIMindtree announced the acquisition of Randstad Technology Consulting Services, Wipro expanded through the Mindsprint and Alpha Net deals, and Tech Mahindra acquired Avant Techno Solutions to deepen its BFSI capabilities. HCLTech committed significant investments towards AI infrastructure, while Tata Consultancy Services instead focused on ecosystem partnerships to drive growth organically.

READ MORE: Shabana Dagar safeguards 500-year musical legacy

The report remains constructive on the sector over the medium term, expecting enterprise software monetisation to gather pace in FY27, followed by a broader acceleration in IT services demand as AI deployment scales up through FY28.