Naukri business grew handsomely this quarter: Info Edge

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Hitesh Oberoi, MD and CEO, Info Edge, spoke about the results and his outlook for the company. 

Below is a verbatim transcript of his interview with CNBC-TV18's Latha Venkatesh and Gautam Broker. Also watch the accompanying video. Q: If you can tell us your numbers for the current quarter, how the margins panned out this time? A: This was a very good quarter for us. Our operating income is up 27% and our operating profit after tax (PAT) is up 58% over the corresponding quarter last year. Q: Can you give us the exact numbers? A: So net sales for a quarter were Rs 75 crore and the net profit after tax is Rs 21.92 crore. Q: And what would that help you do by way of a margin? A: The margins are at an all time high. I don't have exact number with me right now, but they are very high this quarter as compared to the previous quarters. Q: Can you tell us the break-up? A: Naukri continues to do well and the Naukri business grew handsomely this quarter. Also, the 99acres.com business did well, they grew at about 74% this quarter. Jeevansathi.com had an average quarter; it did not do very well. But what has happened for us is that sales growth has been strong, costs have been under control, advertising expenses were low compared to last year, and the sales team is very bullish about the collection for next quarter as well. Q: How are the collections for next quarter looking like? We are into about two-three weeks of this quarter. What is the sense you are getting? Is it traditionally a strong quarter? A: Yes, traditionally Q4 is the best quarter because a lot of companies recruit in budgets which lapse at the end of the year and they will renew for the next year. Our sales team is currently very bullish about next quarter, although the fact is that the growth will come of a much higher base because the market had recovered by Q4 last year. What we have to wait and watch for the impact of high interest rates and high inflation on the real estate sector. But, right now it looks good. Q: But what is the share that 99acres brings to the sales kitty? How much money in actual aggregate terms? A: Not much, 99 Acres is less than 10% growth business right now. Q: We understand that you are looking at a few acquisitions. You have outlined about Rs 400 crore for that. What kind of verticals are you targeting? And also what will be the ticket size of this acquisition? A: So, we have Rs 400 crore of cash in the bank. We are always looking for opportunities. We have made a few investments in the last couple of years in new companies and start ups looking for more. Acquisitions, we are always on the look out, but acquisitions are opportunistic. It depends on whether we get the right opportunity. So, there is no fund earmarked for the purpose, but we are always looking around. Q: Should we expect something when the year is out? A: Can