Buyout-happy Accenture hits $30bn in sales – as profits slide 10 per cent

Acquisition-ravenous US outsourcer Accenture posted an increase in sales of five per cent to $30bn (£20bn) for financial year 2015, compared with the previous year.

Meanwhile, net income dipped 10 per cent to $3.2bn (£2.1bn), following its spending spree over the last year.

John O'Brien, an analyst at TechMarketView, described the company as "fast becoming the most acquisitive major IT services provider in the market today."

He counted 18 deals since the start of 2015: notably in areas such as digital design, cyber security, supply chain analytics and cloud orchestration and integration.

This month, Accenture bought cloud advisory and tech services outfit Cloud Sherpas for an undisclosed fee, as well as healthcare consultancy Epic in the UK.

Sales in the UK and Europe were up 14 per cent during its fourth quarter to $3bn (£2bn).

Half of that was through its outsourcing business, with the rest derived from consulting. The biz says it expects growth of 4 to 7 per cent for next year.

Pierre Nanterme, Accenture’s chief exec, said: "We are investing to further strengthen our industry expertise as well as to differentiate our capabilities—including in strategy, digital, technology, and operations.

"We have momentum in our business, and I am confident in our ability to continue driving sustainable, profitable growth and delivering value for our shareholders.” ®