Shares of Accenture (ACN) dipped about 2% premarket on Thursday despite fiscal first quarter results beating estimates, as second quarter revenue was slightly below expectations.
For the fiscal first quarter ended Nov. 30, revenue rose 6% in U.S. dollar terms (5% in local currency) year-over-year to $18.74B, while GAAP EPS climbed about 10% year-on-year to $3.94. Both top and bottom line numbers surpassed analysts’ expectations.
“I am very pleased with our $21 billion in new bookings, including 33 clients with quarterly bookings greater than $100 million. We delivered revenue growth of 5% in local currency, at the top of our guided range, while continuing to gain market share. We also strengthened our leadership in advanced AI and deepened our ecosystem partnerships to help clients realize value,” said Accenture’s Chair and CEO Julie Sweet.
The company said new bookings for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 were $20.94B, an increase of 12% in U.S. dollars and 10% in local currency compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025.
The Irish company’s Consulting revenues in the first quarter grew 4% (in U.S. dollars) year-over-year to $9.41B, while Managed Services revenues jumped 8% (in U.S. dollars) to $9.33B.
Americas was the top geographic market by revenue, generating $9.08B in the fiscal first quarter, growing 4% (in U.S. dollars) year-over-year.
The company had a free cash flow of $1.5B.
Dividend: Accenture declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.63 per share for shareholders of record at the close of business on Jan. 13, 2026. This dividend, which is payable on Feb. 13, 2026, represents a 10% increase over the quarterly dividend rate of $1.48 per share in fiscal 2025.
Stock Buyback: During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Accenture bought back or redeemed 9.5 million shares for a total of $2.3B, including 9.1 million shares repurchased in the open market. Accenture’s total remaining share repurchase authority at Nov. 30, 2025, was about $5.6B.
Outlook
The company expects fiscal second quarter revenue to be between $17.35B and $18.0B (midpoint at $17.675B), versus a consensus revenue estimate of $17.78B.
For the full-year fiscal 2026, Accenture expects revenue growth (in local currency) to be in the range of 2% to 5%, approximately 3% to 6% excluding an estimated 1% impact from its U.S. federal business.
The company expects adjusted EPS to be between $13.52 and $13.90 (midpoint at $13.71), versus consensus EPS estimates of $13.77.