Key TakeawaysAccenture exceeded fourth-quarter revenue forecasts on rising demand for its generative AI services.The business management consulting firm's new bookings were up 21% to $20.1 billion, and new generative AI bookings reached $1.0 billion.Accenture also raised its quarterly dividend and share repurchase program. Accenture (ACN) shares surged Thursday when the business management consultant reported better-than-expected revenue and gave solid guidance as it boosted bookings on higher demand for ge ...

Accenture (ACN) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.79 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.77 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.71 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 0.72%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this consulting company would post earnings of $3.14 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.13, delivering a surprise of -0.32%.Over the last four quarters, the compa ...

Financial Performance - New bookings for Q4 fiscal 2024 were $20.1 billion, a 21% increase in U.S. dollars and 24% in local currency compared to Q4 fiscal 2023[9]. - Full-year new bookings reached a record $81.2 billion, reflecting a 13% increase in U.S. dollars and 14% in local currency over fiscal 2023[15]. - Q4 revenues were $16.4 billion, up 3% in U.S. dollars and 5% in local currency compared to Q4 fiscal 2023[3]. - Full-year revenues totaled $64.9 billion, a 1% increase in U.S. dollars and 2% in local currency compared to fiscal 2023[4]. - Q4 GAAP EPS was $2.66, a 24% increase from $2.15 in Q4 fiscal 2023; adjusted EPS was $2.79, a 3% increase from $2.71[6]. - Full-year GAAP EPS was $11.44, a 6% increase from $10.77 in fiscal 2023; adjusted EPS was $11.95, a 2% increase from $11.67[12]. - Free cash flow for Q4 was $3.2 billion, and for the full year, it was $8.6 billion[1]. Future Guidance - The company expects revenue growth of 3% to 6% in local currency for fiscal 2025, with GAAP EPS guidance of $12.55 to $12.91[1]. - For Q1 fiscal 2025, Accenture expects revenues between $16.85 billion and $17.45 billion, reflecting a 2% to 6% increase in local currency[21]. - The full fiscal year 2025 revenue growth is projected at 3% to 6% in local currency, with a GAAP operating margin expected to be between 15.6% and 15.8%[22]. - GAAP diluted EPS for fiscal 2025 is anticipated to be between $12.55 and $12.91, representing a 10% to 13% increase over fiscal 2024[22]. - Operating cash flow for fiscal 2025 is expected to be between $9.4 billion and $10.1 billion, with free cash flow projected at $8.8 billion to $9.5 billion[23]. Shareholder Returns - Accenture returned $7.8 billion to shareholders in fiscal 2024, including $4.5 billion in share repurchases and $3.2 billion in cash dividends[18]. - A quarterly cash dividend of $1.29 per share was paid, totaling $808 million, bringing the annual dividend payments to $3.24 billion, up from $2.83 billion in fiscal 2023[19]. - Accenture repurchased 2.1 million shares for $628 million in Q4 fiscal 2024, with total repurchases for the year reaching 14.0 million shares and $4.5 billion[20]. - Accenture plans to return at least $8.3 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases in fiscal 2025[23]. - The company has approved an additional $4.0 billion in share repurchase authority, bringing the total to approximately $6.7 billion[20]. Revenue Breakdown - Consulting revenues for fiscal 2024 were $33.2 billion, a decrease of 1% in both U.S. dollars and local currency; Managed Services revenues were $31.7 billion, an increase of 4% in U.S. dollars and 5% in local currency[12]. - North America revenues increased by 5% to $7,966,691, while Growth Markets revenues decreased by 3% to $2,800,365[34]. - The Health & Public Service industry group saw a 10% revenue increase to $3,613,865, while Financial Services experienced a 5% decline to $2,872,964[34]. - Managed Services revenues for the three months ended August 31, 2024, were $8,145,424, a 5% increase from $7,788,352 in the prior year[34]. Operating Performance - Operating income for the three months ended August 31, 2024, was $2,353,668, with an operating margin of 14.3%, up from $1,912,920 and 12.0% in the prior year[37]. - The company reported a total operating income of $9,595,847 for the year ended August 31, 2024, reflecting a 9% increase from $8,809,889 in the previous year[38]. - Total operating income for the year ended August 31, 2024, was $10,034,287, reflecting a 12.8% increase from $8,809,889 in 2023[41]. - North America generated $5,020,538 in operating income for the year ended August 31, 2024, up from $4,473,701 in 2023, maintaining an operating margin of 16%[41]. - The company reported an operating margin of 15.5% for the year ended August 31, 2024, up from 15.4% in 2023[44]. Income and Tax - Net income for the three months ended August 31, 2024, was $1,718,666, compared to $1,408,212 for the same period in 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of approximately 22%[46]. - Net income for the year ended August 31, 2024, was $7,746,287, an increase from $7,003,530 in 2023[44]. - The effective tax rate for the year ended August 31, 2024, was 23.6%, compared to 23.4% in 2023[44]. - Accenture's GAAP annual effective tax rate is expected to be in the range of 22.5% to 24.5% for fiscal 2025[22]. Cash Flow and Assets - Cash and cash equivalents decreased to $5,004,469 as of August 31, 2024, from $9,045,032 in 2023[45]. - Total assets increased to $55,932,363 as of August 31, 2024, compared to $51,245,305 in 2023[45]. - Total current liabilities increased to $18,976,127 as of August 31, 2024, from $18,009,038 in 2023[45]. - The company’s goodwill increased significantly to $21,120,179 as of August 31, 2024, from $15,573,003 in 2023[45]. - Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended August 31, 2024, was $9,131,027, down from $9,524,268 in 2023, indicating a decrease of about 4%[46]. - The company reported a net cash used in investing activities of $(7,061,818) for the year ended August 31, 2024, compared to $(2,622,470) in 2023, reflecting a significant increase in investment outflows[46]. - Cash dividends paid increased to $(3,241,479) for the year ended August 31, 2024, from $(2,827,394) in 2023, marking an increase of approximately 15%[46]. - The company experienced a net decrease in cash and cash equivalents of $(4,040,563) for the year ended August 31, 2024, compared to an increase of $1,155,199 in 2023[46]. Other Financial Metrics - Share-based compensation expense rose to $1,941,590 for the year ended August 31, 2024, compared to $1,913,051 in 2023, reflecting a slight increase[46]. - Proceeds from the issuance of ordinary shares were $1,418,131 for the year ended August 31, 2024, down from $1,501,069 in 2023, indicating a decrease of about 6%[46]. - The company incurred $(671,246) in net repayments of debt for the year ended August 31, 2024, compared to a net increase of $827,787 in 2023[46].

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Analysts on Wall Street project that Accenture (ACN) will announce quarterly earnings of $2.77 per share in its forthcoming report, representing an increase of 2.2% year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $16.33 billion, increasing 2.2% from the same quarter last year.The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has undergone an upward revision of 0.6% in the past 30 days, bringing it to its present level. This represents how the covering analysts, as a whole, have reassessed their initial estimates d ...

Accenture plc (ACN) is set to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2024 results on Sept. 26, before market open.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $2.8 per share, indicating 2.2% growth from the year-ago quarter’s level. The consensus estimate for revenues is pinned at $16.3 billion, indicating 2.2% year-over-year growth. There has been no change in analyst estimates or revisions lately.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe company has an impressive earnings surprise history. Earnings surpa ...

The market expects Accenture (ACN) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended August 2024. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The earnings report, which is expected to be released on September 26, 2024, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are ...

Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Accenture plc (ACN) may be one such company. The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon, and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report.That is because Accentureis seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late, which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat. After all, analysts raising estimates right before earnings — with the most up-to-date information possible — is a pretty good indicat ...

News of a delay in one important activity spooked investors.Accenture's (ACN -4.82%) top news item Tuesday wasn't all that encouraging and in reaction, investors traded the company's stock down by more than 4% on the day. The storied consultancy is delaying its annual round of promotions, a move that could affect hundreds, if not thousands, of employees.Six-month shiftThat news initially came from Bloomberg, which wrote in an article published before market open that Accenture aims to delay most of its plan ...

Key TakeawaysAccenture shares lost ground following reports that the professional services firm will postpone staff promotions.The move comes amid a challenging environment for the consultancy industry as clients take a cautious approach to spending.Citi analysts said near-term headwinds could weigh on Accenture's growth trajectory, but they maintain a positive view on the stock. Accenture (ACN) shares fell Tuesday following reports that the business strategy and consulting giant plans to delay promotions b ...