Accenture lowers outlook, shares fall

Accenture said it now expects earnings per share for the full fiscal year to be in a range of $2.60 to $2.67, down from its previous outlook of $2.78 to $2.85.

"This increasingly uncertain environment is affecting business broadly and has had a dramatic impact on some of our clients," Accenture Chief Executive William Green said in a statement.

"We are revising our business outlook for the rest of the year to reflect the continued uncertainty in the global marketplace."

Accenture also lowered its full-year revenue forecast to flat to 4 percent growth, compared with its previous estimate of 6 to 10 percent growth. It forecast third-quarter revenue of $5.1 billion to $5.3 billion.

Accenture said its consulting business, particularly systems integration, has been hit by a slowdown since January and that several of its operating groups experienced either a decline or slower growth in revenue during the second quarter.

Accenture said revenue for the quarter ended February 28 fell to $5.27 billion from $5.61 billion in the year-ago quarter. That was lower than the $5.54 billion average analyst estimate, according to Reuters Estimates.

Its quarterly profit was $411.4 million, or 63 cents a share, compared with $406.6 million, or 64 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Part of the gains were from a lower share count.

Analysts on average had expected profit per share of 62 cents, according to Reuters Estimates.

Accenture shares fell about 6 percent after closing at $31.96.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Gary Hill)