THE Aptech Ltd scrip has consistently outperformed the Sensex and presently hovers around the Rs 520 mark. Recently the company has announced a 1:1 bonus.

Aptech's income from training and education constitutes around 85 per cent of the net income of Rs 120.01 crore whilst NIIT presently gathers 43 per cent of its total revenues from the education business. The software division comprising of Asset International (11 per cent of net income) and Arena Multimedia (4 per cent of net income) has reported a rise of 927 per cent in its income to Rs 13.38 crore compared to Rs 1.30 crore for the first quarter of 1997. Operating profits have soared by aphenomenal 39.4 per cent to Rs 23.35 crore - thanks largely to increased revenues from its education business. Owing to the higher cost of operations due to the ongoing expansions, the total expenditure has risen by a whopping 41.56 per cent to Rs 96.66 crore.

Commensurately, the operating margins have been maintained at 19 per cent. Largely due to faster write off on assets (computers), depreciation has gone up by 41.89 per cent to Rs 3.21 crore. Aptech's other income has risen to Rs 0.54 crore from Rs 0.15 crore. All this has combined to Aptech posting a bottom line of Rs 13.74 crore, an increase of 50.78 per cent. The earning per share on an annualised basis works out to Rs 49.21.

Aptech is presently undertaking a Rs 20 crore capital expenditure program to be met entirely by internal accruals. Also it has taken up the activity of marketing and distribution of world class software products from software giants like Oracle, Sybase, Informix, Forte SCO and Cognos. This business sector, coupled withconsultancy assignments in the areas of ERP, internet, multimedia and client/server software solutions, should help Aptech attain a higher bottomline for the full year.