Infosys Technologies on Thursday took a hit on the Dalal Street, plunging by nearly four per cent on BSE after the company’s third quarter earnings failed to meet market expectations.

The IT bellwether’s consolidated Q3 net profit grew by 14.17 per cent to Rs 1,780 crore against Rs 1,559 crore in the last quarter.

“An over 14 per cent jump in the third quarter by Infosys was below the market expectations... The street was hoping for a growth of 16-17 per cent,” Stock Broking Head of Institutional Business, Mr Prakash Diwan, said.

Reacting sharply to below-the-market expectations number, Infosys dipped by 3.70 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange to Rs 3,250 a share. The stock was the top loser among the frontline scrips in the Sensex.

The stock witnessed a similar downslide on the National Stock Exchange where it slid by 3.76 per cent to Rs 3,250.