Accenture Raises Quarterly Dividend 10% to $1.63 Per Share
Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN), a global professional services company, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.63 per share, a 10% increase from the prior year's $1.48 per share. The dividend is payable May 15, 2026 to shareholders of record April 9, 2026.
Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN), a global professional services company, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.63 per share for shareholders of record at the close of business on April 9, 2026. The dividend will be paid on May 15, 2026. Read more dividend announcements.
The new dividend represents a 10% increase over the quarterly dividend rate of $1.48 per share paid in fiscal 2025. The company paid a dividend of $1.63 per share on February 13, 2026 to shareholders of record on January 13, 2026, totaling $1.0 billion.
| Dividend Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Amount | $1.63 per share |
| Record Date | April 9, 2026 |
| Payment Date | May 15, 2026 |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Prior Year Rate | $1.48 per share |
| Increase | 10% |
Second Quarter Financial Results
For the second quarter of fiscal 2026 ended February 28, Accenture reported net income of $1.86 billion compared with $1.82 billion in the year-ago quarter. Diluted earnings per share rose 4% to $2.93 from $2.82 in the second quarter of fiscal 2025.
Gross margin for the quarter was 30.3% compared to 29.9% in the second quarter of fiscal 2025. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $2.97 billion, or 16.4% of revenues, unchanged as a percentage from the prior year period.
The company's effective tax rate for the quarter was 24.3%, compared with 20.4% for the second quarter of fiscal 2025.
Cash Flow and Balance Sheet
Operating cash flow in the second quarter totaled $3.82 billion, up from $2.85 billion in the year-ago quarter. Free cash flow reached $3.67 billion compared with $2.68 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, after deducting property and equipment additions of $150 million.
Days services outstanding were 46 days at February 28, 2026, down from 47 days at August 31, 2025 and 48 days at February 28, 2025. Total cash balance stood at $9.4 billion at February 28, 2026, compared with $11.5 billion at August 31, 2025.
Share Repurchase Activity
During the second quarter, Accenture repurchased or redeemed 6.8 million shares for $1.7 billion, including 5.1 million shares repurchased in the open market. At February 28, 2026, the company had approximately $4.4 billion in remaining share repurchase authority and approximately 615 million total shares outstanding.
Business Outlook
For the third quarter of fiscal 2026, Accenture expects revenues of $18.35 billion to $19.0 billion, representing local currency revenue growth of 1% to 5%. The company anticipates a foreign exchange tailwind of approximately 2.5%.
For the full fiscal year 2026, the company now expects local currency revenue growth of 3% to 5%, or approximately 4% to 6% excluding an estimated 1% impact from its U.S. federal business. This compares to prior guidance of 2% to 5% local currency growth. Accenture expects GAAP operating margin of 15.2% to 15.4%, representing expansion of 50 to 70 basis points over fiscal 2025.