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Accenture reported $18.7 billion in fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue, up 7% in local currency, and forecast 3%–6% local-currency revenue growth for fiscal 2027. The company said Q4 revenue exceeded the high end of its guidance. Investing.com reported that shares rose 17.8% in premarket trading on October 1, 2026; that figure is not a verified full-day or closing return.
Accenture Q4 and FY2026 results
Accenture’s fourth quarter and fiscal year ended August 31, 2026. CEO Julie Sweet and CFO Angie Park discussed the results on an October 1 call introduced by investor relations head Alexia Quadrani. The company’s release reported $18.70 billion in Q4 revenue, $22.17 billion in bookings, a 15.3% GAAP operating margin, $3.29 GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS), and $2.8 billion in free cash flow. Revenue increased 6% in U.S. dollars and 7% in local currency; Accenture said it exceeded the high end of its revenue guidance range. Accenture’s October 1 results release and its quarterly results materials provide the formal figures and definitions.
| Measure | Q4 FY2026 | FY2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $18.70 billion; up 6% in U.S. dollars and 7% in local currency | $74.18 billion; up 5% in local currency |
| Bookings | $22.17 billion | $84.54 billion |
| Operating margin | 15.3% GAAP | 15.4% GAAP; 15.8% adjusted |
| Diluted EPS | $3.29 GAAP | $13.56 GAAP; $13.97 adjusted, up 8% |
| Free cash flow | $2.8 billion | $11.6 billion |
The adjusted full-year margin and EPS figures are non-GAAP measures; Accenture says its adjusted figures exclude specified business-optimization costs and provides reconciliations in the release. GAAP and adjusted measures should not be treated as interchangeable. Local-currency growth restates current-period activity using prior-year exchange rates and is supplemental to GAAP financial information.
What management said drove the quarter
Sweet described growth as broad across markets, industries, and types of work. Accenture booked $22.17 billion in Q4, rounded to $22.2 billion in the call, and recorded 37 clients with bookings above $100 million during the quarter. In prepared remarks she characterized the year as one of broad-based growth and said adjusted EPS rose 8% and the company returned a record $11.5 billion to shareholders.
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She also cautioned against reading the revenue result as evidence of a sharp demand acceleration: “the overall demand environment, including discretionary spending, did not meaningfully change.” In the Q&A, executives attributed the Q4 over-delivery to a mix of factors, including an uptick in small deals, faster mobilization on some new contracts, outperformance by some federal-business acquisitions, and employees carrying over paid time off. These are management’s explanations, not independently established causes.
FY2027 outlook: growth, margin and cash
Accenture’s fiscal 2027 guidance is a company forecast, not a promise of results. The release gives the following ranges and assumptions:
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| FY2027 measure | Company outlook |
|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 3%–6% in local currency; flat assumed foreign-exchange impact |
| Operating margin | 15.9%–16.1% |
| Annual effective tax rate | 24.5%–26.5% |
| Diluted EPS | $14.39–$14.81 |
| Operating cash flow | $11.9–$12.7 billion |
| Property and equipment additions | About $900 million |
| Free cash flow | $11.0–$11.8 billion |
The company frames expected EPS growth as 6%–9% compared with FY2026 GAAP EPS of $13.56, or 3%–6% compared with adjusted EPS of $13.97. The comparison basis matters: those percentages are not interchangeable. In the call, CFO Angie Park said the guidance range allows for stable-to-slightly-improving discretionary spending near the upper end and deterioration near the lower end. She also said the company expected lower pricing in many areas amid intense competition, which is reflected in its margin assumptions.
AI opportunity and the limits of the growth story
Sweet said large-scale reinvention projects, many involving AI, supported demand. She reported that nearly 100 additional clients began their first advanced AI work in Q4, bringing the fiscal-year total to more than 400. She described much client work as foundational—digital core, data, and enterprise-AI readiness—because clients are at different stages of adoption.
Management’s view is that AI-related opportunities are larger than efficiency effects on Accenture’s own business. That is a strategic assessment, not a guarantee that new AI work will offset efficiency pressure, client budget changes, or competition. Sweet said the company remained in a highly competitive environment and faced lower pricing in many areas during Q4.
Bookings, services mix and questions from analysts
Bookings indicate contracted work, while revenue is recognized as services are delivered; the two measures describe different stages of business activity. Sweet said managed-services bookings can be lumpy because large deals may shift between quarters, and emphasized that Accenture guides revenue rather than bookings. Analysts also asked whether the outlook reflected macroeconomic conservatism and pricing, whether AI efficiencies might reduce demand, and how quickly acquisitions would proceed. These were questions raised on the call, not findings that establish a particular outcome.
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Accenture’s title-level “tops forecasts” framing should be read with care. The company release and transcript establish that revenue exceeded the high end of Accenture’s own guidance. They do not identify the analyst-consensus series or forecast provider behind the broader wording, so they do not establish a precise consensus beat.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Capital returns and planned investment
Accenture returned $11.5 billion to shareholders in FY2026. For FY2027, management said it expected to deploy about $5 billion in acquisitions based on opportunities then visible, and to return at least $9.5 billion to shareholders. These are plans as of the October 1 call, not completed actions. The release says the board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.71 per share, payable November 13, 2026, subject to the record-date terms stated in the release.
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What the reported 17.8% share move means
Investing.com reported on October 1 that Accenture shares rose 17.8% in premarket trading to $215.96, compared with the prior close of $183.37. The article is the source for that specific market-price figure: Investing.com’s October 1 report. It describes a premarket move, not the stock’s closing return or a verified measure of its performance over the full trading day.
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