ACI Worldwide Q1 Revenue $426M, Exceeds Expectations
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 07 2026
0mins
Should l Buy ACIW?
Reports Q1 revenue $426M, consensus $410.12M. "Payments modernization continues to accelerate, and ACI is at the center of it," said Thomas Warsop, President and CEO of ACI Worldwide. "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. At the same time, our ACI Connetic pipeline continues to expand, underscoring strong market demand for our cloud-native payments platform. The decision last year to operate our Payment Software and Biller businesses as two distinct segments has sharpened our focus, accelerated organic growth, and consistently enabled us to outperform expectations. We are committed to our capital allocation framework, investing in organic growth, pursuing strategic M&A, and returning capital to shareholders." "We entered 2026 with momentum, executed ahead of expectations in the first quarter, and are raising our full-year outlook," Warsop concluded.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy ACIW?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on ACIW
Wall Street analysts forecast ACIW stock price to rise
3 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 40.870
Low
66.00
Averages
66.00
High
66.00
Current: 40.870
Low
66.00
Averages
66.00
High
66.00
About ACIW
ACI Worldwide, Inc. is a global payments technology company, delivers software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time to banks, billers, and merchants. The Company's segments include Payment Software and Biller. Its Payment Software segment drives payments orchestration for banks and merchants. It provides payment solutions to large and mid-size banks globally for retail banking, digital, and other payment services. Its support of merchants globally includes Tier 1 and Tier 2 merchants (in-store and online), payment service providers, independent selling organizations, value-added resellers, and acquirers who service them. The Company's Biller segment provides electronic bill presentment and payment services to companies operating in the consumer finance, insurance, healthcare, higher education, utility, government, mortgage, subscription provider, and telecommunications categories. The Company also provides fraud abuse protection to its Biller customers.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Aristotle Capital Reduces Stake in ACI Worldwide
- Stake Reduction Details: Aristotle Capital cut its stake in ACI Worldwide by 105,810 shares in Q1 2026, translating to an estimated $4.44 million trade, indicating a cautious outlook on the company's future performance.
- Market Value Impact: This reduction resulted in a $9.56 million decrease in ACI Worldwide's quarter-end market value, reflecting not only the share sales but also the impact of stock price changes on the investment portfolio.
- Company Performance Overview: Despite ACI Worldwide's Q1 revenue rising 8% to $426 million and adjusted EBITDA climbing 12% to $105 million, its stock price has fallen 15% over the past year, underperforming the S&P 500's 25% gain.
- Future Growth Potential: ACI Worldwide's management raised full-year guidance, highlighting strong growth in real-time payments and merchant solutions, yet investors remain cautious about whether the company can consistently outperform traditional payment peers.
See More
Aristotle Capital Reduces Stake in ACI Worldwide by $4.44 Million
- Stake Reduction Details: Aristotle Capital sold 105,810 shares of ACI Worldwide in Q1 2026, with an estimated trade value of $4.44 million, indicating a cautious outlook on the company's future performance.
- Market Value Decline: This reduction resulted in a $9.56 million decrease in ACI Worldwide's quarter-end market value, reflecting the negative impact of stock price fluctuations on the investment portfolio, which may affect investor confidence.
- Financial Performance Analysis: Despite ACI's Q1 revenue rising 8% to $426 million and adjusted EBITDA climbing 12% to $105 million, its stock price fell 15%, underperforming the S&P 500, which raises concerns about its market competitiveness.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: Although ACI's underlying business improved and management raised full-year guidance, investors remain cautious about its ability to sustain earnings growth, particularly in the rapidly evolving fintech sector.
See More
ACI and Security Bank Win Best Payment Technology Award
- Significant Transaction Growth: The collaboration between ACI Worldwide and Security Bank resulted in a 35% year-on-year increase in transaction volumes, reflecting the effectiveness of the new platform and enhancing the bank's position in a competitive market.
- Enhanced Processing Capacity: The new payment platform has tripled processing capacity while achieving 99.99% uptime, demonstrating exceptional scalability and operational resilience that enables the bank to meet increasing transaction demands.
- Innovative Platform Development: By consolidating fragmented payment systems, ACI and Security Bank have created a unified payment platform that supports ISO20022 real-time payment processing, improving operational efficiency and simplifying compliance processes, thereby driving business innovation.
- Rapid Implementation Results: The initiative utilized a phased rollout strategy, with InstaPay going live within 10 months and quickly scaling to over 10 million transactions per month, showcasing strong market responsiveness and customer service capabilities.
See More
ACI Worldwide to Participate in Multiple Investor Conferences
- Investor Conference Schedule: ACI Worldwide will participate in the J.P. Morgan 2026 Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference on May 18 in Boston, where company executives will share insights on innovations in global payments technology, likely attracting investor interest and boosting market confidence.
- Executive Attendance: President and CEO Thomas Warsop, CFO Bobby Leibrock, and SVP John Kraft will attend multiple conferences, showcasing the leadership team's expertise and market insights, thereby enhancing investor trust in the company.
- Multiple Conference Dates: In addition to the Boston event, ACI will also participate in the Baird 2026 Global Consumer, Technology & Services Conference on June 4 in New York City, and the D.A. Davidson 2026 Technology Conference on June 11 in Nashville, highlighting its business expansion and market strategies across various sectors.
- Company Background: With nearly 50 years of experience in payments technology, ACI Worldwide provides transformative software solutions for real-time intelligent payments orchestration, enabling banks, billers, and merchants to drive growth while modernizing their payment infrastructures, demonstrating its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving payments market.
See More
ACI Worldwide Reports Strong Earnings, Optimistic Outlook
- Strong Earnings Report: ACI Worldwide reported revenue of $426 million, exceeding forecasts by 3.8%, with earnings per share (EPS) at $0.37, surpassing expectations by 28%, indicating robust financial performance.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Analysts predict revenues of $1.90 billion in 2026, reflecting a 5.9% increase from the past year, while EPS is expected to rise by 28% to $2.60, showcasing increased confidence in the company's earnings potential.
- Stable Price Target: Despite the improved earnings outlook, analysts maintained a price target of $64.00, suggesting that expectations for long-term value creation have not significantly changed, indicating confidence in the company's valuation.
- Industry Growth Comparison: Although ACI Worldwide's projected annual growth rate of 8.0% is favorable, it lags behind the industry average of 17%, highlighting challenges the company may face in a competitive market and necessitating attention to future performance.
See More
ACI Worldwide Reports Strong Q1 2026 Earnings with Raised Guidance
- Significant Revenue Growth: ACI Worldwide achieved $426 million in revenue for Q1 2026, surpassing analysts' expectations of $410.1 million, demonstrating strong performance in the payment software and billing markets, which is expected to drive future growth.
- Improved Adjusted EBITDA: The company reported an adjusted EBITDA of $105 million for Q1, with an EBITDA margin increase from 36% last year to 38%, reflecting successful operational efficiency and cost control, thereby enhancing investor confidence.
- Optimistic Outlook: ACI raised its FY 2026 revenue guidance to $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion, an increase from previous estimates, showcasing management's confidence in market demand and corporate strategy, which is expected to boost shareholder returns.
- Strong Product Momentum: The launch of the ACI Kinetic platform drove over 20% revenue growth in real-time payments, while new ARR bookings in the billing market grew by 39%, indicating positive progress in innovation and market share expansion.
See More
Aristotle Capital Reduces Stake in ACI Worldwide
- Stake Reduction Details: Aristotle Capital cut its stake in ACI Worldwide by 105,810 shares in Q1 2026, translating to an estimated $4.44 million trade, indicating a cautious outlook on the company's future performance.
- Market Value Impact: This reduction resulted in a $9.56 million decrease in ACI Worldwide's quarter-end market value, reflecting not only the share sales but also the impact of stock price changes on the investment portfolio.
- Company Performance Overview: Despite ACI Worldwide's Q1 revenue rising 8% to $426 million and adjusted EBITDA climbing 12% to $105 million, its stock price has fallen 15% over the past year, underperforming the S&P 500's 25% gain.
- Future Growth Potential: ACI Worldwide's management raised full-year guidance, highlighting strong growth in real-time payments and merchant solutions, yet investors remain cautious about whether the company can consistently outperform traditional payment peers.
See More
Aristotle Capital Reduces Stake in ACI Worldwide by $4.44 Million
- Stake Reduction Details: Aristotle Capital sold 105,810 shares of ACI Worldwide in Q1 2026, with an estimated trade value of $4.44 million, indicating a cautious outlook on the company's future performance.
- Market Value Decline: This reduction resulted in a $9.56 million decrease in ACI Worldwide's quarter-end market value, reflecting the negative impact of stock price fluctuations on the investment portfolio, which may affect investor confidence.
- Financial Performance Analysis: Despite ACI's Q1 revenue rising 8% to $426 million and adjusted EBITDA climbing 12% to $105 million, its stock price fell 15%, underperforming the S&P 500, which raises concerns about its market competitiveness.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: Although ACI's underlying business improved and management raised full-year guidance, investors remain cautious about its ability to sustain earnings growth, particularly in the rapidly evolving fintech sector.
See More
ACI and Security Bank Win Best Payment Technology Award
- Significant Transaction Growth: The collaboration between ACI Worldwide and Security Bank resulted in a 35% year-on-year increase in transaction volumes, reflecting the effectiveness of the new platform and enhancing the bank's position in a competitive market.
- Enhanced Processing Capacity: The new payment platform has tripled processing capacity while achieving 99.99% uptime, demonstrating exceptional scalability and operational resilience that enables the bank to meet increasing transaction demands.
- Innovative Platform Development: By consolidating fragmented payment systems, ACI and Security Bank have created a unified payment platform that supports ISO20022 real-time payment processing, improving operational efficiency and simplifying compliance processes, thereby driving business innovation.
- Rapid Implementation Results: The initiative utilized a phased rollout strategy, with InstaPay going live within 10 months and quickly scaling to over 10 million transactions per month, showcasing strong market responsiveness and customer service capabilities.
See More
ACI Worldwide to Participate in Multiple Investor Conferences
- Investor Conference Schedule: ACI Worldwide will participate in the J.P. Morgan 2026 Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference on May 18 in Boston, where company executives will share insights on innovations in global payments technology, likely attracting investor interest and boosting market confidence.
- Executive Attendance: President and CEO Thomas Warsop, CFO Bobby Leibrock, and SVP John Kraft will attend multiple conferences, showcasing the leadership team's expertise and market insights, thereby enhancing investor trust in the company.
- Multiple Conference Dates: In addition to the Boston event, ACI will also participate in the Baird 2026 Global Consumer, Technology & Services Conference on June 4 in New York City, and the D.A. Davidson 2026 Technology Conference on June 11 in Nashville, highlighting its business expansion and market strategies across various sectors.
- Company Background: With nearly 50 years of experience in payments technology, ACI Worldwide provides transformative software solutions for real-time intelligent payments orchestration, enabling banks, billers, and merchants to drive growth while modernizing their payment infrastructures, demonstrating its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving payments market.
See More
ACI Worldwide Reports Strong Earnings, Optimistic Outlook
- Strong Earnings Report: ACI Worldwide reported revenue of $426 million, exceeding forecasts by 3.8%, with earnings per share (EPS) at $0.37, surpassing expectations by 28%, indicating robust financial performance.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Analysts predict revenues of $1.90 billion in 2026, reflecting a 5.9% increase from the past year, while EPS is expected to rise by 28% to $2.60, showcasing increased confidence in the company's earnings potential.
- Stable Price Target: Despite the improved earnings outlook, analysts maintained a price target of $64.00, suggesting that expectations for long-term value creation have not significantly changed, indicating confidence in the company's valuation.
- Industry Growth Comparison: Although ACI Worldwide's projected annual growth rate of 8.0% is favorable, it lags behind the industry average of 17%, highlighting challenges the company may face in a competitive market and necessitating attention to future performance.
See More
ACI Worldwide Reports Strong Q1 2026 Earnings with Raised Guidance
- Significant Revenue Growth: ACI Worldwide achieved $426 million in revenue for Q1 2026, surpassing analysts' expectations of $410.1 million, demonstrating strong performance in the payment software and billing markets, which is expected to drive future growth.
- Improved Adjusted EBITDA: The company reported an adjusted EBITDA of $105 million for Q1, with an EBITDA margin increase from 36% last year to 38%, reflecting successful operational efficiency and cost control, thereby enhancing investor confidence.
- Optimistic Outlook: ACI raised its FY 2026 revenue guidance to $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion, an increase from previous estimates, showcasing management's confidence in market demand and corporate strategy, which is expected to boost shareholder returns.
- Strong Product Momentum: The launch of the ACI Kinetic platform drove over 20% revenue growth in real-time payments, while new ARR bookings in the billing market grew by 39%, indicating positive progress in innovation and market share expansion.
See More
