ACI Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW) reported first-quarter results that came in ahead of Wall Street expectations and increased its full-year forecast on Thursday.
Shares of the payments technology company climbed 5.59% in premarket trading following the release.
Revenue and profit exceed analyst estimates
ACI posted adjusted earnings of $0.61 per share for the quarter, outperforming the analyst consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.33.
Revenue totaled $426 million, above expectations of $410.12 million and representing growth of 8% compared with the same period last year, or 6% on a constant currency basis.
Company raises full-year guidance
The company increased its full-year 2026 revenue outlook to a range of $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion, compared with its previous forecast of $1.88 billion to $1.91 billion. The midpoint of $1.905 billion is slightly above the analyst consensus estimate of $1.89 billion.
ACI also lifted its adjusted EBITDA guidance to between $540 million and $555 million, up from the prior range of $530 million to $550 million.
“Payments modernization continues to accelerate, and ACI is at the center of it,” said Thomas Warsop, President and CEO. “In the quarter, Real Time Payments and Merchant each grew more than 20%, Biller delivered 10% growth on top of last year’s double-digit performance, and new ARR bookings grew 39% across the company.”
Recurring revenue and EBITDA continue to grow
Recurring revenue rose 10% year-over-year to $313 million, or 8% in constant currency terms.
Adjusted EBITDA reached $105 million, an increase of 12% from the first quarter of 2025, or 8% on a constant currency basis.
The company’s Payment Software segment generated revenue of $214 million, up 6% from a year earlier, while the Biller segment delivered $212 million in revenue, marking a 10% increase.
Second-quarter outlook and share repurchases
For the second quarter of 2026, ACI expects revenue in the range of $420 million to $440 million and adjusted EBITDA between $85 million and $95 million.
During the quarter, the company repurchased 1.5 million shares for $65 million and said it remains committed to allocating 50% to 60% of operating cash flow toward share buybacks throughout the year.
More about ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide develops software and payment solutions that help banks, merchants, and billers process digital transactions. The company focuses on real-time payments, electronic billing, fraud prevention, and payment infrastructure modernization, serving financial institutions and businesses across global markets.