Accenture shares jump on earnings beat and upbeat guidance

Investing.com -- Accenture (NYSE:ACN) reported fourth-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations on both earnings and revenue, sending shares up around 18% premarket as the company provided fiscal 2027 guidance that met investor expectations.

The consulting and technology services firm posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.29 for the quarter ended August 31, 2026, beating the analyst consensus of $3.19 by $0.10. Revenue reached $18.7 billion, surpassing the $18.05 billion estimate and representing a 6% increase in U.S. dollars and 7% in local currency compared to the same quarter last year. The company reported broad-based growth across all geographic markets, industry groups and types of work.

For fiscal year 2027, Accenture expects revenue growth of 3% to 6% in local currency. The company projects GAAP diluted EPS of $14.39 to $14.81, representing a 6% to 9% increase. The midpoint of the EPS guidance range at $14.60 compares to a 3% to 6% increase over adjusted EPS from fiscal 2026.

"We exceeded our fourth-quarter revenue guidance range and capped off another year of broad-based growth across our business, grew adjusted EPS 8%, returned a record $11.5 billion to shareholders and reached a new high of 141 quarterly client bookings of $100 million or more," said Chair and CEO Julie Sweet.

For the full fiscal year 2026, Accenture generated revenue of $74.2 billion, up $4.5 billion or 6% in U.S. dollars and 5% in local currency. Adjusted EPS for the year increased 8% to $13.97. The company reported GAAP operating margin of 15.4% for the year, an increase of 70 basis points, while adjusted operating margin rose 20 basis points to 15.8%.

New bookings totaled $22.2 billion for the quarter, up 4% in U.S. dollars and 5% in local currency. Accenture plans to return at least $9.5 billion in cash to shareholders in fiscal 2027.