Accenture Surges 22% in Record Single-Day Gain After Blowout Fiscal Q4 Results and Record Annual Bookings

Accenture posted fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $18.68 billion, up 6.3% year over year and well above the analyst consensus of $18.03 billion and the top of its own guided range of $18.40 billion. GAAP diluted earnings per share of $3.29 rose 46% from $2.25 a year earlier and beat the $3.18 estimate, while GAAP operating margin expanded 370 basis points to 15.3%. Net income for the quarter came in at $1.99 billion, compared with $1.41 billion a year prior.

New bookings for the quarter reached $22.17 billion, up 4% in U.S. dollars, including a record 141 client engagements worth at least $100 million each. That pushed full-year fiscal 2026 bookings to a record $84.5 billion. Full-year revenue totaled $74.2 billion, up 6%, with adjusted EPS of $13.97 rising 8%. Accenture returned a record $11.5 billion to shareholders in fiscal 2026, up 38% year over year, through dividends and buybacks. The board approved $6 billion in additional buyback authority in September 2026, and the company raised its quarterly dividend 5% to $1.71 per share.

For fiscal 2027, management guided for revenue growth of 3% to 6% in local currency, GAAP diluted EPS of $14.39 to $14.81 representing 6% to 9% growth, and operating margin of 15.9% to 16.1%, an expansion of 50 to 70 basis points. Accenture also said it plans approximately $5 billion in acquisitions and targets at least $9.5 billion in shareholder returns for the year. First-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue was guided to $18.95 billion to $19.60 billion.

Shares surged more than 22% on the day, their largest single-day percentage gain on record, crossing above the 200-day moving average of $196.59 and reaching as high as $227.63. CEO Julie Sweet said the company exceeded its fourth-quarter revenue guidance and achieved broad-based growth across all geographic markets and industry groups, pushing back against persistent concerns that AI would erode demand for consulting services. Evercore ISI raised its price target on Accenture to $250 citing AI-driven growth, and Susquehanna also lifted its target, while both TD Cowen and Jefferies reiterated Hold ratings, with TD Cowen maintaining a bearish $173 price target.

The results rippled across the IT services sector. Infosys ADRs jumped 8.2% to $11.65, Cognizant shares rose 7.2%, IBM gained roughly 5%, and Wipro ADRs advanced 3.17%, as investors read Accenture's robust bookings as a signal of sustained enterprise technology spending.