Accenture PLC - ACN STOCK NEWS

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) reported its financial results for Q4 and full fiscal year 2024. The company achieved new bookings of $20.1 billion for the quarter and a record $81.2 billion for the year, marking a 13% increase in U.S. dollars. Generative AI bookings reached $1 billion for Q4 and $3 billion for the year. Q4 revenues were $16.4 billion, up 3% in USD, while full-year revenues were $64.9 billion, up 1% in USD. The GAAP operating margin for Q4 was 14.3%, with an adjusted operating margin of 15.0%. Q4 GAAP EPS rose 24% to $2.66, and adjusted EPS increased 3% to $2.79. Full-year GAAP EPS was $11.44, up 6%, with adjusted EPS at $11.95, up 2%. The company generated free cash flow of $3.2 billion for Q4 and $8.6 billion for the year. Accenture announced a 15% increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.48 per share and approved an additional $4 billion in share repurchase authority. For FY 2025, Accenture projects revenue growth of 3% to 6% and GAAP EPS between $12.55 and $12.91.

Accenture Federal Services has secured a $90 million prime contract from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to provide data analytics and vulnerability research support. This initiative aims to enhance CISA partners' cybersecurity resilience proactively.

The contract, spanning a one-year base with four option years, will support CISA's Cybersecurity Division (CSD) Vulnerability Management (VM) Insights Branch. Accenture will assist in delivering timely guidance on risk mitigation strategies to CISA's partners and stakeholders, leveraging private sector best practices.

This work aligns with CISA's implementation of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA), which requires covered entities to report cyber incidents and ransomware payments. The collaboration aims to strengthen America's cybersecurity by enabling rapid trend identification and information sharing with network defenders.

CloudBees, a leading software development platform, has announced significant milestones at DevOps World Virtual 2024. The company has surpassed $150 million in annual recurring revenue and achieved profitability. With over 500,000 developers using its products, CloudBees serves 500+ of the world's largest companies across various sectors. Under new CEO Anuj Kapur, CloudBees has strengthened its leadership team, launched a new SaaS DevSecOps platform, and acquired Launchable to boost GenAI efforts. The company is positioning itself for growth in the global hybrid cloud market, expected to reach $145 billion by 2026. CloudBees continues to innovate, focusing on scale, resiliency, and developer experience, as it aims to empower enterprises in their technology transformation journey.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has invested in Martian, a technology company that has developed a patent-pending Large Language Model (LLM) router. This router dynamically selects the best-performing LLM for any given prompt, optimizing results and cost-efficiency. Accenture plans to integrate Martian's technology into its proprietary "switchboard" services, enhancing its ability to customize LLMs for specific enterprise needs.

The integration aims to simplify user experience and allow businesses to experiment with generative AI and LLMs more effectively. Accenture's switchboard service, launched in November 2023, enables clients to test, evaluate, deploy, and control LLM combinations. With Martian's capabilities, it will offer improved accuracy, performance, and cost-efficiency in AI systems.

This investment is part of Accenture Ventures' Project Spotlight program, which focuses on companies creating disruptive enterprise technologies. The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) Group, through its subsidiary Lintasarta, has partnered with Accenture to accelerate Indonesia's sovereign AI cloud platform. The collaboration aims to propel AI-driven digital transformation in Indonesia, initially focusing on the financial services sector. Using Accenture's AI Refinery™ platform, the initiative will help Indonesian enterprises build cutting-edge AI solutions while ensuring sovereign data governance.

The partnership will provide pre-built solutions to reduce time to value, enabling Indonesian banks to harness AI for improved profitability, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. This collaboration aligns with Indonesia's vision of becoming a digitally empowered nation by 2045, supporting economic resilience and technological empowerment.

Accenture Federal Services has secured a $190 million prime contract from the U.S. Department of State to provide data and systems engineering support for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The contract, with a one-year base period and four option years, aims to enhance PEPFAR's data infrastructure and support its mission to achieve global HIV epidemic control. PEPFAR, celebrating its 20th year, has saved 25 million lives and prevented millions of HIV infections. Accenture will focus on securing health data collection and exchange to enable real-time analysis of program performance. The company plans to introduce new technologies and architectures to support PEPFAR's evolving needs in addressing new risk groups and future health threats.

F&G Annuities & Life, Inc (NYSE: FG) has announced a strategic collaboration with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to enhance its technology platform capabilities using Accenture's Life Insurance and Annuity Platform (ALIP). This cloud modernization program aims to optimize and scale operations for future growth in F&G's retail annuity business. The ALIP platform, running on Microsoft Azure, will help F&G:

1. Improve customer, agent, and distributor experiences
2. Streamline new application processing
3. Automate tasks to enhance case manager productivity
4. Offer personalized services and faster response times
5. Provide greater transparency and support for its partner network

This collaboration positions F&G to gain operational efficiencies, expand distribution channels, and drive innovation in its annuity business.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has launched a Personalized Experiences on Salesforce solution that leverages data and AI to help organizations gain a 360-degree view of their customers and drive tailored experiences across channels. The solution uses real-time data and AI-driven insights to help enterprises stay competitive, unlock incremental value, and grow customer loyalty.

Key features include:

• Unified data foundation using Salesforce Data Cloud and Platform
• Expanded generative AI capabilities across marketing, sales, service, and commerce
• Human-centric change management to drive adoption

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is an early adopter, using the solution to transform student engagement and improve operational efficiency.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced it will host a conference call on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. EDT to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2024 financial results. An earnings news release will be issued before the call. Participants can join the teleconference by dialing +1 (877) 692-8955 [+1 (234) 720-6979 outside the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada] with access code 5504138. The call will also be accessible via webcast on Accenture's Investor Relations website. A replay will be available until December 18, 2024, through the website and by phone using access code 9225580.