Persistent posts FY26 revenue growth & £40 dividend

Persistent reported audited revenue of USD $1,654.4 million for FY26, and its Board recommended a full-year dividend of ₹40 per share.

The IT services group recorded year-on-year revenue growth of 17.4%. EBIT rose to ₹23,034.7 million from ₹17,512.6 million, resulting in an EBIT margin of 15.6%. Profit before tax increased 32.3% to ₹24,112.1 million, while profit after tax rose 33.2% to ₹18,651.2 million.

For the fourth quarter, revenue was USD $436.0 million, up 3.2% from the previous quarter and 16.2% from a year earlier. Quarterly EBIT reached ₹6,591.6 million, with a margin of 16.3%, while profit after tax stood at ₹5,292.6 million.

The proposed final dividend is ₹18 per share. Together with earlier payouts, this brings the full-year dividend to ₹40 per share, up from ₹35 per share in FY25.

Order bookings for the quarter were USD $600.8 million in total contract value and USD $445.1 million in annual contract value. The March quarter was also its 24th straight quarter of growth.

Client activity

During the quarter, Persistent reported work across software, telecoms, banking, insurance, and healthcare. This included an engineering carveout and offshore operations programme for a global industrial technology company, cloud modernisation work for a US telecoms provider, a payments platform modernisation project for a Nordic bank, and a digital underwriting platform for an Australian life insurer.

In healthcare and life sciences, it highlighted a managed IT and platform operations programme for a US molecular diagnostics business, a cloud-focused platform overhaul for a life sciences group, and work on a care management platform for a US kidney care provider.

Leadership moves

Persistent also announced two senior appointments. Ruchi Kulhari joined as Executive Vice President - Enterprise Strategy & Execution, and Hari S. Abhyankar joined as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Private Equity and Professional Services.

"Our approach has consistently been to build capabilities ahead of demand. Over the past 36 years, we have invested in strengthening our engineering depth and data foundations, which are now finding greater application as AI adoption scales across enterprises. These investments are leading to deeper client relationships and a more meaningful role in how our clients are reshaping their businesses in the context of AI. We will continue to build and adapt our capabilities as the market evolves, with the same long-term discipline," Dr Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent, said.

Sandeep Kalra, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, outlined the company's annual and quarterly performance.

"We delivered 17.4% year-on-year revenue growth in FY26, with an EBIT margin of 15.6%. I am pleased to share that we have declared a full-year dividend of ₹40 per share. Q4 FY26 marked our 24th sequential quarter of growth, reflecting the consistency of our execution and alignment to client demand in a market being shaped by AI. As AI adoption accelerates, our AI-first strategy is strengthening our operating model and improving the quality and scale of delivery across the business," said Kalra.

"Our growth momentum continues to be recognised in the market, with Brand Finance naming Persistent the fastest-growing IT services brand globally in 2026. We are deeply grateful to our employees for their unwavering commitment, and to our clients, partners, and shareholders for their continued trust and belief, enabling our progress."