Accenture Surges 22% After Earnings Ease AI Disruption Fears

Accenture reported revenue of $74.2 billion for the fiscal year ended August 2026, up 4% year over year, with net profit rising 8% to $8.4 billion. The company guided revenue growth of 3% to 6% for the next fiscal year. Shares jumped 22% on Thursday, pushing the market capitalization above $135 billion and easing worries that AI would disrupt its consulting business.

CEO Julie Sweet said the company is gaining market share amid a challenging environment. She noted that clients see AI as a way to achieve goals previously out of reach, but their readiness for AI adoption varies, with many companies just beginning their AI transformation. Accenture also said AI is helping improve revenue per employee.

The stock had hit a nine-year low in June 2026 on concerns that AI would sharply reduce demand for consulting services. The latest results, driven by better-than-expected fourth-quarter performance, suggested demand was not deteriorating as much as feared. The profit growth was supported by cost-cutting measures initiated a year earlier, including layoffs. However, Accenture added more than 15,000 jobs in the last three months, bringing its global workforce to over 814,000. Sweet said overall headcount growth would slow due to AI.