-=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 20 June 24 (b/o)

 

Accenture misses by $0.03, reports revs in-line; guides Q4 revs in-line; lowers FY24 EPS guidance; narrows FY24 revenue guidance 

• Reports Q3 (May) earnings of $3.13 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.03 worse than the FactSet Consensus of $3.16; revenues fell 0.6% year/year to $16.47 bln vs the $16.55 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Revenues by geographic market were as follows: North America: $7.83 billion, an increase of 1% in both U.S. dollars and local currency compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2023. EMEA: $5.78 billion, a decrease of 2% in both U.S. dollars and local currency compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2023. Growth Markets: $2.86 billion, a decrease of 4% in U.S. dollars and an increase of 8% in local currency compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2023.
• Co issues in-line guidance for Q4, sees Q4 revs of $16.05-16.65 bln vs. $16.53 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Co issues guidance for FY24, lowers EPS to $11.85-12.00 from $11.97-12.20, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $12.09 FactSet Consensus; narrows FY24 revs to 1.5-2.5% from +1-3% to $65.07-65.73 bln vs. $65.19 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Accenture continues to expect GAAP operating margin for fiscal 2024 to be 14.8%, an expansion of 110 basis points from fiscal 2023; and adjusted operating margin, which excludes an estimated $450 million for business optimization costs in fiscal 2024 and $1.1 billion in fiscal 2023, to be 15.5%, an expansion of 10 basis points from fiscal 2023.

-=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 21 March 24 (b/o)

 

Accenture beats by $0.11, reports revs in-line; guides Q3 revs below consensus; lowers FY24 guidance

• Reports Q2 (Feb) earnings of $2.77 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.11 better than the FactSet Consensus of $2.66; revenues fell 0.1% year/year to $15.8 bln vs the $15.85 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Co issues downside guidance for Q3, sees Q3 revs of $16.25 billion to $16.85 billion, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $17.02 bln FactSet Consensus.
• Co issues lowered guidance for FY24, sees EPS of $11.97-12.20 from $11.97 to $12.32, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $12.24 FactSet Consensus. For fiscal 2024, the company now expects revenue growth to be in the range of 1% to 3% in local currency, compared to 2% to 5% previously (Factset consensus calls for revenue growth of +3.2%).
• For fiscal 2024, the company continues to expect operating cash flow to be in the range of $9.3 billion to $9.9 billion; property and equipment additions to be $600 million; and free cash flow to be in the range of $8.7 billion to $9.3 billion.
• Accenture plc has declared another quarterly cash dividend of $1.29 per share for shareholders of record at the close of business on April 11, 2024. This dividend, which is payable on May 15, 2024, represents a 15% increase over the quarterly dividend rate of $1.12 per share in fiscal 2023.

• What led to downbeat guidance? ACN is traversing an uncertain macroeconomic environment, underscored by geopolitical, economic, and industry-specific headwinds. As a result, the company is noticing customers thoughtfully prioritizing larger business transformations.
• Meanwhile, even though AI is nearly universally recognized as a crucial piece of technology, ACN's clients face challenges utilizing AI at scale as the technology is merely a small subset of what is needed.
  • For example, organizations must have the right digital core, change their processes, and upskill their workforce to build new capabilities around AI.
  • Additionally, AI remains in its early stages, leading to some lack of knowledge about how it can be leveraged to improve operations.
• Because of the formidable economic landscape, ACN noted that it is hard to predict the current IT services spending cycle. Management mentioned that at the turn of the new year, spending was further tightened, particularly on smaller projects. As such, budgets look slightly more constrained for CY24 than last year.
• On a lighter note, ACN remarked that it continues taking market share. It also witnesses upward momentum as its clients understand the importance of a technology-led transformation.
• Nevertheless, the near term continues to contain multiple hurdles despite early interest in AI as businesses operate conservatively in light of elevated macroeconomic uncertainty.

Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Fri 16 Dec 22 (b/o)

 ** charts after earnings **

Accenture beats by $0.15, reports revs in-line; guides Q2 revs in-line; raises FY23 EPS in-line, reaffirms FY23 revs guidance 

• Reports Q1 (Nov) earnings of $3.08 per share, $0.15 better than the S&P Capital IQ Consensus of $2.93; revenues rose 5.2% year/year to $15.75 bln vs the $15.59 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• Co issues in-line guidance for Q2, sees Q2 revs of $15.20-15.75 bln vs. $15.64 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• Co issues guidance for FY23, raises EPS to $11.20-11.52 from $11.09-11.41 vs. $11.37 S&P Capital IQ Consensus; sees FY23 revs of +8-11% to ~$66.5-$68.4 bln vs. $64.25 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• New bookings are $16.2 billion across consulting and managed services with both at $8.1 billion.
• Gross margin (gross profit as a percentage of revenues) for the quarter was 32.9%, flat compared to 32.9% in the first quarter last year. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the quarter were $2.59 billion, or 16.5% of revenues, compared with $2.48 billion, or 16.6% of revenues, for the first quarter last year.

 

** the following day **

Accenture Plc (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 16 Dec 21 (b/o)

 ** charts after earnings **

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accenture beats by $0.15, beats on revs; guides Q2 revs above consensus; raises FY22 EPS above consensus, revs above consensus

• Reports Q1 (Nov) earnings of $2.78 per share, $0.15 better than the S&P Capital IQ Consensus of $2.63; revenues rose 27.2% year/year to $14.97 bln vs the $14.22 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• Co issues upside guidance for Q2, sees Q2 revs of $14.30-14.75 bln vs. $14.08 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• Co issues upside guidance for FY22, sees EPS of $10.32-10.60 vs. $10.13 S&P Capital IQ Consensus; sees FY22 revs of +19-22% to ~$60.1-61.6 bln vs. $57.44 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus. Revs compared with 12% to 15% previously
  • The company now expects GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $10.32 to $10.60, compared with $9.90 to $10.18 previously, an increase of 17% to 20% over adjusted FY21 diluted EPS of $8.80 - which exclude gains on an investment of $0.36 from FY21 GAAP diluted EPS of $9.16.
• Accenture plc has declared another quarterly cash dividend of $0.97 per share for shareholders of record at the close of business on Jan. 13, 2022. This dividend, which is payable on Feb. 15, 2022, represents a 10% increase over the quarterly dividend rate of $0.88 per share in fiscal 2021.

Earnings this week : Dec. 13 - 17, 21 (wk 50)

 

Wednesday (Dec 15)

• Morning:  ABM REVG TTC
• Afternoon:  HEI  LEN  NDSN TCOM

Thursday (Dec 16)

• Morning: ACN   ADBE JBL WOR
• Afternoon:  FDX NX SCS RIVN EXFY SCHL NOTV YCBD

Friday (Dec 17)  

• Morning:  DRI WGO GENC

-=Accenture Plc (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 24 Sept 20 (b/o)

 

For the quarter ended Aug. 31, Accenture (ticker: ACN) posted revenue of $10.8 billion, down 2%, or 1% in constant currency, slightly below the analyst consensus at $10.9 billion. Profits excluding a one-time investment gain were $1.70 a share, below the $1.73 Wall Street expected. New bookings were $14 billion, which the company said were its second-highest ever.

Revenue from consulting services was $5.68 billion, down 8% in the quarter—including 3 percentage points due to a reduction in reimbursable travel, as the company’s consultants were forced to stay at home by the pandemic. Outsourcing revenues were up 6%.

The company said profits included 3 cents a share from higher nonoperating income and a penny a share from a lower share count, offset by a 3 cent decrease from lower revenue and operating results, and 5 cents a share from a higher effective tax rate.

Revenues were down 1% in North America, 5% in Europe and 1% in “growth markets.” By industry group, revenues were down 1% in communications, media and technology, down 1% in financial services, up 11% in health and public service, down 6% in products, and down 11% in resources.

Accenture also disclosed a 10% boost in its quarterly dividend rate to 88 cents a share. The stock now has a yield of 1.6%.

The company said it is expanding its stock-repurchase program by $5 billion, boosting the total to $6.3 billion. Accenture finished the August quarter with $8.4 billion in cash. The company spent $590 million to buy back 2.6 million shares in the latest quarter, bringing total repurchases for the year to $2.92 billion.

For the November quarter, the company is projecting revenue of $11.15 billion to $11.55 billion, which would range from flat to down 3% in constant currency. The Street consensus expectation had been for revenue of $11.52 billion.

For the August 2021 fiscal year, Accenture is projecting revenue growth of between 2% and 5%. The company sees full-year profits of $7.80 to $8.10 a share, which is slightly below the Street consensus forecast of $8.13 a share.

CEO Julie Sweet said in a statement that the company’s results show the value of Accenture’s growth stragy, the firm’s resilience and disciplined management, and the power of its relationships.

-=Accenture Plc (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 25 June 20 (b/o)

Accenture beats by $0.06, reports revs in-line; guides Q4 revs in-line; guides FY20 EPS in-line

Reports Q3 (May) earnings of $1.90 per share, $0.06 better than the S&P Capital IQ Consensus of $1.84; revenues fell 1.0% year/year to $10.99 bln vs the $10.89 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.

Co issues in-line guidance for Q4, sees Q4 revs of $10.6-11.0 bln vs. $10.92 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.

Co issues in-line guidance for FY20, sees EPS of $7.57-7.70 vs. $7.58 S&P Capital IQ Consensus, up from $7.48-7.70 previously

Co is also raising its range for FY20 free cash flow to $5.8-6.3 bln from $5.5-6.0 bln

Earnings this week : June 22 - 26, 20 (wk 26)

Monday (June 22)
None

Tuesday (June 23)

• Morning: INFO
• Afternoon: AVAV LZB

Wednesday (June 24)

• Morning: PDCO WGO
• Afternoon: BB FUL KBH

Thursday (June 25)

• Morning: ACN DRI EPAC FDS GMS MKC RAD WOR
• Afternoon: CAMP NKE PRGS SNX

Friday (June 26) 

• Morning: APOG

=Accenture Plc (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 20 Dec 18 (b/o)

(Reuters) - Accenture Plc beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter revenue on Thursday, as the consulting and outsourcing services provider reaped rewards from investments in digital and cloud services.

Much of Accenture's recent growth has been driven by digital and cloud services, which include everything from managing clients' social media marketing strategies to helping them move to the cloud.

Revenue from digital, cloud and security-related services, which the company calls it "the New", accounted for more than 60 percent of its total revenue.

Accenture has spent billions over the last three years on multiple acquisitions to strengthen the business and compete with Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp and IBM Corp. It made at least five smaller acquisitions in the last three months alone.

In October, rival IBM said it would buy U.S. software company Red Hat Inc for $34 billion, including debt, to diversify its technology hardware and consulting business.

Accenture forecast current-quarter revenue between $10.10 billion and $10.40 billion. Its midpoint was below the average analysts' estimate of $10.32 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Net income attributable to the consulting and outsourcing services provider rose to $1.28 billion, or $1.96 per share, in the first quarter ended Nov. 30, from $1.12 billion, or $1.79 per share, a year earlier.

Its profit beat the analysts' estimate of $1.86 per share. Net revenue rose 7.4 percent to $10.61 billion, beating estimates of $10.52 billion.

Earnings this week : December 17 - 21, 2018 (wk 51)

Earnings confirmed to report next week

Monday (Dec 17) 

• Morning: None
• Afternoon: HEI ORCL RHT

Tuesday (Dec 18)

• Morning: DRI FDS NAV WOR
• Afternoon: ABM AIR FDX JBL MU SCS 

Wednesday (Dec 19)

• Morning: GIS NCS PAYX WGO
• Afternoon: MLHR PIR RAD REVG

Thursday (Dec 20)

• Morning: ACN APOG ATU BB CAG CCL CTAS NEOG  SAFM SCHL SID WBA
• Afternoon: CAMP CTAS NKE  

Friday (Dec 21)

• KMX

-=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 22 March 18 (b/o)

Accenture beats by $0.09, beats on revs; raises FY18 guidance   

• Reports Q2 (Feb) earnings of $1.58 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.09 better than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.49; revenues rose 15.2% year/year to $9.59 bln vs the $9.31 bln Capital IQ Consensus.
• New bookings are $10.3 billion, with consulting bookings of $5.7 billion and outsourcing bookings of $4.6 billion
• Co issues raised guidancefor FY18, sees EPS of $6.61-6.70 from $6.48-6.66, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $6.68 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY18 revs of +7-9% from +6-8% to ~$37.3-38.0 bln vs. $38.39 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.
  • FY18 Guidance: Accenture's business outlook for the full 2018 fiscal year now assumes that the foreign-exchange impact on its results in U.S. dollars will be positive 4.0 percent compared with fiscal 2017; the previous foreign-exchange assumption was positive 2.5 percent. Accenture now expects operating margin for the full fiscal year to be 14.8 percent, consistent with the adjusted operating margin for fiscal 2017; the company previously expected operating margin to expand 10 to 30 basis points on an adjusted basis. For fiscal 2018, the company now expects operating cash flow to be in the range of $5.2 billion to $5.5 billion, compared with $5.0 billion to $5.3 billion previously; continues to expect property and equipment additions to be $600 million; and now expects free cash flow to be in the range of $4.6 billion to $4.9 billion, compared with $4.4 billion to $4.7 billion previously.

=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 22 June 2017 (b/o)

Accenture (ACN) said Thursday that adjusted fiscal third-quarter earnings were $1.52 a share, up 7% from a year ago and in-line with views, with revenue rising 5% to $8.87 billion, above consensus estimates. A year earlier, Accenture earned $1.41 a share on sales of $$8.43 billion. Analysts expected Accenture to report profit of $1.52 a share on sales of $8.82 billion for the period ended April 30.

Shares in the Dublin-based global tech consulting and services company fell 1.2% in early trading in the stock market today.

In the current quarter, Accenture said it expects revenue in a range of $8.85 billion to $9.10 billion, up from $8.49 billion a year earlier, slightly above consensus estimates of $8.93 billion.

Accenture cut its full-year GAAP operating margin target to 13.3% from 13.5%-13.7%. However, excluding a pension settlement charge, Accenture sees adjusted operating margin of 14.8%, in line with its 14.7%-14.9% forecast.

=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 23 March 2017 (b/o)

Accenture beats by $0.03, reports revs in-line; guides Q3 revs in-line; raises low end of FY17 EPS and rev guidance, in-line:

• Reports Q2 (Feb) earnings of $1.33 per share, $0.03 better than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.30; revenues rose 4.7% year/year to $8.32 bln vs the $8.34 bln Capital IQ Consensus, 6% in local currency, and within the company's guided range of $8.15 bln to $8.40 bln. The foreign-exchange impact for the quarter was ~negative 2%, consistent with the assumption provided in the company's first-quarter earnings release.
  • Consulting net revenues for the quarter were $4.41 bln, an increase of 3% in U.S. dollars and 5% in local currency compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2016.
  • Outsourcing net revenues were $3.91 bln, an increase of 7% in U.S. dollars and 8% in local currency compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2016.
  • New bookings for the second quarter were $9.2 bln and reflect a negative 2% foreign-currency impact compared with new bookings in the second quarter last year. Consulting new bookings were $4.6 bln, or 50% of total new bookings. Outsourcing new bookings were $4.6 bln, or 50% of total new bookings.
• Co issues in-line guidance for Q3, sees Q3 revs of $8.65-8.90 bln vs. $8.81 bln Capital IQ Consensus; 5% to 8% growth in local currency, reflecting the company's assumption of a negative 2.5% foreign-exchange impact compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2016.
• Co issues in-line guidance for FY17, sees EPS of $5.70-5.87, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $5.87 Capital IQ Consensus (up from $5.64-5.87); sees FY17 revs +4-6% to ~$34.20-34.86 bln vs. $34.63 bln Capital IQ Consensus (up from +3-6%). Accenture's business outlook for the full 2017 fiscal year continues to assume that the foreign-exchange impact on its results in U.S. dollars will be negative 2% compared with fiscal 2016. For fiscal 2017, the company now expects net revenue growth to be in the range of 6% to 8% in local currency, compared with 5% to 8% previously. In May 2017, the company expects to record a principally non-cash settlement charge of ~$425 mln, pre-tax, in connection with the termination of its U.S. pension plan. This settlement charge will reduce the company's fiscal 2017 GAAP EPS by ~$0.39 and its full-year GAAP operating margin by ~120 basis points. Accenture now expects diluted GAAP EPS to be in the range of $5.31 to $5.48, including the impact of the settlement charge. Excluding the settlement charge, the company now expects EPS to be in the range of $5.70 to $5.87, compared with $5.64 to $5.87 previously. Excluding the settlement charge, the company continues to expect operating margin to be in the range of 14.7% to 14.9%, an expansion of 10 to 30 basis points from fiscal 2016. For fiscal 2017, the company continues to expect operating cash flow to be in the range of $4.6 bln to $4.9 bln; property and equipment additions to be $600 mln; and free cash flow to be in the range of $4.0 bln to $4.3 bln. 

=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Wed 21 Dec 2016 (b/o)

Accenture misses by $0.09, reports revs in-line; guides Q2 revs below consensus; lowers FY17 EPS and revs below consensus due to strong dollar; reaffirms sales ex-FX :

• Reports Q1 (Nov) earnings of $1.40 per share, ex$0.18 positive imapact from a lower tac rate, $0.09 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.49; revenues rose 6.3% year/year to $8.52 bln vs the $8.59 bln Capital IQ Consensus. 
  • New bookings for the first quarter were $8.3 billion and reflect a -1% foreign-currency impact compared with new bookings in the first quarter last year. Consulting new bookings were $4.9 billion, or 59 percent of total new bookings. Outsourcing new bookings were $3.4 billion, or 41 percent of total new bookings.
• Co issues downside guidance for Q2, sees Q2 revs of $8.15-8.40 bln vs. $8.49 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.
• Co issues downside guidance for FY17, lowers EPS to $5.64-5.87 from $5.75-5.98 vs. $5.90 Capital IQ Consensus due to FX headwind; sees FY17 revs +3-6% to ~$33.87-34.86 bln vs. $35.08 bln Capital IQ Consensus. Accenture's business outlook for the full 2017 fiscal year now assumes that the FX impact on its results in U.S. dollars will be negative 2 percent compared with fiscal 2016; the company previously expected a flat foreign-exchange impact. For fiscal 2017, the company continues to expect net revenue growth to be in the range of 5 percent to 8 percent in local currency. Accenture continues to expect operating margin for the full fiscal year to be in the range of 14.7 percent to 14.9 percent, an expansion of 10 to 30 basis points from fiscal 2016. For fiscal 2017, the company continues to expect operating cash flow to be in the range of $4.6 billion to $4.9 billion; property and equipment additions to be $600 million; and free cash flow to be in the range of $4.0 billion to $4.3 billion. 

=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 29 Sept 2016 (b/o)

Accenture beats by $0.01, reports revs in-line; guides Q1 revs in-line; guides FY17 EPS in-line, revs in-line; raises dividend 10%  :

• Reports Q4 (Aug) earnings of $1.31 per share, excluding $0.37/share gain from a divestiture,$0.01 better than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.30; revenues rose 7.6% year/year to $8.49 bln vs the $8.44 bln Capital IQ Consensus. 
  • Adjusting for the actual foreign-exchange impact of negative 1.5 percent in the quarter, the company's guided range for quarterly net revenues was ~$8.20 billion to $8.45 billion.
• New bookings for the fourth quarter were $9.0 billion and reflect a negative 2 percent foreign-exchange impact compared with new bookings in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.
  • Consulting new bookings were $4.8 billion, or 53 percent of total new bookings. Outsourcing new bookings were $4.2 billion, or 47 percent of total new bookings.
• Co issues in-line guidance for Q1, sees Q1 revs of $8.40-8.65 bln vs. $8.58 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.
• Co issues in-line guidance for FY17, sees GAAP EPS of $5.75-5.98 vs. $5.82 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY17 revs +5-8% to ~$34.53-35.51 bln vs. $35.07 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• Accenture's Board of Directors has declared a semi-annual cash dividend of $1.21 per share, an increase of $0.11 per share, or 10 percent, over its previous semi-annual dividend, declared in March.

=Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 24 March 2016 (b/o)

Accenture beats by $0.16, beats on revs; guides FY16 EPS above consensus, revs above consensus :

• Reports Q2 (Feb) earnings of $1.34 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.16 better thanthe Capital IQ Consensus of $1.18; revenues rose 6.0% year/year to $7.95 bln vs the $7.72 bln Capital IQ Consensus. New bookings for the second quarter were $9.5 billion and reflect a negative 6 percent foreign-currency impact compared with new bookings in the second quarter last year.
• Co issues upside guidance for FY16, sees EPS of 5.21-5.32 vs. $5.21 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY16 revs of 8-10% to ~$33.5-34.1 bln vs. $32.23 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• Q3 guidance is reflecting the company's assumption of a negative 2.5 percent foreign-exchange impact compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2015. Accenture now expects operating margin for the full fiscal year to be in the range of 14.6 percent to 14.7 percent, an expansion of 10 to 20 basis points from the adjusted operating margin of 14.5 percent in fiscal 2015. The company previously expected operating margin to be in the range of 14.6 percent to 14.8 percent. For fiscal 2016, the company continues to expect operating cash flow to be in the range of $4.1 billion to $4.4 billion; property and equipment additions to be $500 million; and free cash flow to be in the range of $3.6 billion to $3.9 billion.

Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 17 Dec 15 (b/o)

** charts before earnings **

 

** charts after earnings **

 

Accenture misses by $0.04, beats on revs; guides Q2 revs in-line; reaffirms FY16 EPS guidance :

• Reports Q1 (Nov) earnings of $1.28 per share, including $0.07 negative impact from a higher tax rate of 29% in the quarter, $0.04 worse than the Capital IQ Consensus of $1.32; revenues rose 1.4% year/year to $8.01 bln vs the $7.92 bln Capital IQ Consensus.  The foreign-exchange impact for the quarter was approximately negative 8.5 percent, consistent with the assumption provided in the company's fourth-quarter earnings release. 
• Co issues in-line guidance for Q2, sees Q2 revs of $7.50-7.75 bln vs. $7.73 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. 
• Co reaffirms guidance for FY16, sees EPS of $5.09-5.24 vs. $5.21 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate. Accenture continues to expect operating margin for the full fiscal year to be in the range of 14.6 percent to 14.8 percent, an expansion of 10 to 30 basis points from the adjusted operating margin of 14.5 percent in fiscal 2015.
• New bookings for the first quarter were $7.7 billion and reflect a negative 8 percent foreign-currency impact compared with new bookings in the first quarter last year. 

Accenture (ACN) reported earnings on Thur 28 June 12

** charts before earnings **

 

** charts after earnings **

Accenture PLC's fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 9.8% as the consulting firm amid broad-based revenue growth, particularly in its outsourcing business.

Shares rose 3% to $58.34 in after-hours trading as earnings topped expectations.

Accenture has continued to post strong earnings growth in recent years as companies continue to spend heavily on consulting and outsourcing services.

For the quarter ended May 31, Accenture reported a profit of $689.2 million, or $1.03 a share, up from $628 million, or 93 cents a share, a year earlier.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently projected earnings of 99 cents.

***

Our trade: bought calls @ 0.80, sold @ 1.75 next day --> profit .90 = 113%

Thu Jun 28 15:48:42 2012 Buy  ACN Jun 29 '12 $57.50 Call w Executed @ $0.80

Fri Jun 29 11:13:16 2012 Sell  ACN Jun 29 '12 $57.50 Call w Executed @ $1.75