Accenture revenue tops estimates on strong cloud services demand

Accenture Plc, a provider of consulting and outsourcing services, reported a better-than-expected 7.6 percent rise in quarterly revenue as its investments to boost digital and cloud services pay off.

Shares of the company, which also reported a better-than-expected adjusted profit, rose 2 percent in premarket trading.

Accenture is beefing up its digital and cloud services as it seeks to gain market share from rivals including IBM Corp and India's Infosys Ltd and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to invest in high-growth areas ... with a particular focus on digital, cloud and security services," Chief Executive Pierre Nanterme said in a statement.

Accenture said it expected first-quarter revenue between USD 8.40 billion and USD 8.65 billion. Analysts on an average expected USD 8.59 billion, according to ThomsonReuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue from the company's consulting business, which accounts for more than half its total revenue and is the company's most profitable, rose 10.8 percent to USD 4.61 billion.

Outsourcing revenue rose 4.1 percent to USD 3.88 billion.

Net income rose to USD 1.13 billion or USD 1.68 per share in the fourth quarter ended Aug. 31, from USD 788.13 million or USD 1.15 per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the company earned USD 1.31 per share.

Revenue rose to USD8.49 billion from USD 7.89 billion.

Analysts had expected revenue of USD 8.43 billion and adjusted profit of USD 1.30 per share.

(Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr and Sayantani Ghosh)