Accenture (NYSE: ACN) reported Q1 EPS of $3.27, $0.12 better than the analyst estimate of $3.15. Revenue for the quarter came in at $16.2 billion versus the consensus estimate of $16.18 billion.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2024

Accenture expects revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 to be in the range of $15.40 billion to $16.00 billion, or negative 2% to 2% in local currency, reflecting the company’s assumption of a negative 0.5% foreign-exchange impact compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2023.

Fiscal Year 2024

Accenture’s business outlook for fiscal 2024 continues to assume that the foreign-exchange impact on its results in U.S. dollars will be flat compared with fiscal 2023.

For fiscal 2024, the company continues to expect revenue growth to be in the range of 2% to 5% in local currency.

Accenture continues to expect GAAP operating margin for fiscal 2024 to be in the range of 14.8% to 15.0%, an expansion of 110 to 130 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 in the range of 15.5% to 15.7%, an expansion of 10 to 30 basis points from fiscal 2023.

The company continues to expect both its GAAP and adjusted annual effective tax rate, which excludes the tax impacts of business optimization costs, to be in the range of 23.5% to 25.5%.

The company continues to expect GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $11.41 to $11.76, an increase of 6% to 9% over fiscal 2023, and adjusted EPS to be in the range of $11.97 to $12.32, an increase of 3% to 6% over fiscal 2023. This excludes $0.56 for business optimization costs in fiscal 2024 and $1.28 for business optimization costs and $0.38 for a gain on an investment in fiscal 2023.

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.

The company continues to expect to return at least $7.7 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Accenture (ACN) click here.