ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.16 EPS

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The technology company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. ACI Worldwide had a return on equity of 16.44% and a net margin of 12.88%.The company had revenue of $425.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $410.08 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. ACI Worldwide’s revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from ACI Worldwide’s conference call:

• ACI posted a strong Q1 with ~6% organic revenue growth (6% CC), $426M total revenue, and a 12% year-over-year increase in adjusted EBITDA to $105M, and has raised full‑year guidance to $1.89B–$1.92B revenue and $540M–$555M adjusted EBITDA.
• Connetic momentum is building—ACI expanded the platform (multi‑rail, embedded fraud/verification), is seeing interest from large and mid‑tier banks, has early SaaS wins, and a healthy pipeline though Connetic revenue is not yet material to 2026 guidance.
• Biller/Speedpay One traction drove a 39% increase in new ARR bookings ($12M) and 10% Biller revenue growth, with new logos and meaningful expansions in utilities, insurance and consumer finance supporting recurring revenue strength.
• Capital allocation and balance sheet remain supportive of shareholder returns: ACI repurchased ~1.5M shares (~$65M) in Q1, plans to direct 50%–60% of operating cash flow to buybacks in 2026, and finished the quarter with net leverage ~1.3x and ~$560M total liquidity.
• Near‑term cash flow was weaker due to working capital timing (Q1 operating cash flow $64M vs $78M Y/Y) and management flagged macro/geopolitical uncertainty (Middle East/energy) as potential downside risks.

ACI Worldwide Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ACIW traded up $3.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $46.65. 1,323,850 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 740,979. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $41.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.31. ACI Worldwide has a one year low of $38.05 and a one year high of $54.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50 and a beta of 1.01.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Adalio T. Sanchez purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $40.98 per share, with a total value of $122,940.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 64,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,638,210.44. This trade represents a 4.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Juan Benitez II purchased 2,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $41.90 per share, with a total value of $100,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $707,313.90. This trade represents a 16.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ACI Worldwide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ACIW. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 160.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 157,816 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,634,000 after purchasing an additional 97,206 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 93.4% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,472 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of ACI Worldwide in the first quarter worth $259,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 64.2% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,362 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 13.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 407,332 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $22,285,000 after acquiring an additional 48,988 shares during the period. 94.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ACI Worldwide News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ACI Worldwide this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat expectations — ACI delivered $0.61 EPS (vs. $0.45 consensus) and $425.8M in revenue (vs. ~$410M consensus), with revenue up ~8% year‑over‑year, signaling solid top‑line and margin performance. Zacks: Q1 beat
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised 2026 outlook — Management increased full‑year guidance after the strong quarter and issued Q2 revenue guidance of about $420M–$440M (consensus roughly $429M), which supports upside to consensus estimates. TipRanks: Raises 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability metrics look healthy — Q1 net margin (~12.9%) and return on equity (~16.4%) indicate efficient operations and improving profitability, which supports investor confidence. MarketBeat: Q1 metrics & press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and details available — The earnings call transcript and slide deck provide color on customer wins, product demand and margin drivers; investors will look there for sustainability of growth. Seeking Alpha: Q1 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and upside considerations — At a P/E around 21.5 and with the stock still below its 52‑week high, some of the beat may already be priced in; investors should watch whether guidance/forward estimates are raised enough to justify a higher multiple.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered ACI Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered ACI Worldwide from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ACI Worldwide currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.00.

ACI Worldwide Company Profile

ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW) is a global software company that provides electronic payment and banking solutions to financial institutions, merchants and billers. The company’s platforms enable real-time processing of credit, debit, ACH, bill payments, faster payments and money transfers, as well as integrated fraud prevention services. Headquartered in Naples, Florida, ACI serves clients across banking, payments and commerce sectors worldwide.

ACI’s modular suite of applications can be deployed on-premise, in the cloud or in hybrid environments to meet diverse operational needs.