Accenture Q4 Beats, $865M Restructuring and $9.3B Returns

Accenture beat fiscal Q4 expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.03 and revenue of $17.6 billion, and reported $21.3 billion in new bookings including $1.8 billion tied to generative AI. The company ended the quarter with about $11.5 billion in cash and $3.8 billion in free cash flow and said it will return at least $9.3 billion to shareholders. Management announced restructuring charges totaling about $865 million (roughly $615 million already recorded and about $250 million expected next quarter) to cut lower‑value roles and redirect savings into upskilling, operational efficiency and hiring for 2026. Accenture guided fiscal 2026 revenue growth of roughly 2–5% in local currency and gave Q1 FY26 revenue guidance of $18.1–18.75 billion, an outlook some analysts viewed as light. Executives said a proposed $100,000 H‑1B fee is unlikely to materially affect the business (only about 5% of U.S. staff are on H‑1B) and that U.S. federal contracts represent about 8% of revenue. Shares remain under pressure, down roughly 29–32% year‑to‑date.