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The growing professional services company has now beaten EPS expectations in four consecutive quarters.
Multinational professional services giant Accenture posted its financials for the three months ending 31 August, showing significant growth in revenue and earnings. For the full fiscal year, the company’s revenue passed the $50bn mark.
Fourth-quarter revenue came in at $13.42bn, up 21pc year on year but just missing market expectations of $13.48bn. Its earnings per share (EPS) were $2.20, a 29pc increase, edging out predictions of $2.19.
Accenture described the quarter, its fourth in a row of beating market predictions on EPS, as “very strong”.
Julie Sweet, chair and CEO of Accenture, said: “We are very proud of our outstanding fiscal 2021 financial performance, reflecting growth significantly above the market and strong momentum heading into fiscal 2022.”
“Our results reflect the dedication and hard work of our 624,000 incredible people, who are laser-focused on creating tangible value for our clients, innovating with our ecosystem, and being the trusted partner of choice on our clients’ transformation journeys.”
The company’s growth in revenue was largely consistent across sectors and geographic areas. Accenture saw a boost in sales in “growth markets” of 21pc in the latest quarter, with revenue up 22pc in North America and 18pc in Europe. North America continues to be the source of almost half of the company’s revenue, standing at $6.4bn in Q4. The firm’s operating margin was 14.6pc.
For the entire fiscal year of 2021, Accenture posted a record $50.5bn in revenue, an 11pc increase, and diluted EPS of $9.16, up 16pc. Its operating margin for the 12 months was 15.1pc.
The company’s board increased its quarterly dividend by 10pc to $0.97 per share and authorised $3bn in new share buyback activity. Its share price rose about 2.5pc during trading yesterday (23 September) after the financials were published.
Accenture has been growing its business through acquisitions over the past year, snapping up companies in areas such as cybersecurity and cloud.
The company is also expanding its presence in Ireland. Accenture announced in June that it’s adding 500 new staff over the next three years, with a focus on a new regional hub in Munster.
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