Shares of ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) have gained 0.2% over the past four weeks to close the last trading session at $52.95, but there could still be a solid upside left in the stock if short-term price targets of Wall Street analysts are any indication. Going by the price targets, the mean estimate of $67.33 indicates a potential upside of 27.2%.
The average comprises three short-term price targets ranging from a low of $66.00 to a high of $70.00, with a standard deviation of $2.31. While the lowest estimate indicates an increase of 24.7% from the current price level, the most optimistic estimate points to a 32.2% upside. More than the range, one should note the standard deviation here, as it helps understand the variability of the estimates. The smaller the standard deviation, the greater the agreement among analysts.
While the consensus price target is a much-coveted metric for investors, solely banking on this metric to make an investment decision may not be wise at all. That's because the ability and unbiasedness of analysts in setting price targets have long been questionable.
But, for ACIW, an impressive average price target is not the only indicator of a potential upside. Strong agreement among analysts about the company's ability to report better earnings than they predicted earlier strengthens this view. While a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions doesn't gauge how much a stock could gain, it has proven to be powerful in predicting an upside.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Here's What You Should Know About Analysts' Price TargetsAccording to researchers at several universities across the globe, a price target is one of many pieces of information about a stock that misleads investors far more often than it guides. In fact, empirical research shows that price targets set by several analysts, irrespective of the extent of agreement, rarely indicate where the price of a stock could actually be heading.
While Wall Street analysts have deep knowledge of a company's fundamentals and the sensitivity of its business to economic and industry issues, many of them tend to set overly optimistic price targets. Are you wondering why?
They usually do that to drum up interest in shares of companies that their firms either have existing business relationships with or are looking to be associated with. In other words, business incentives of firms covering a stock often result in inflated price targets set by analysts.
However, a tight clustering of price targets, which is represented by a low standard deviation, indicates that analysts have a high degree of agreement about the direction and magnitude of a stock's price movement. While that doesn't necessarily mean the stock will hit the average price target, it could be a good starting point for further research aimed at identifying the potential fundamental driving forces.
That said, while investors should not entirely ignore price targets, making an investment decision solely based on them could lead to disappointing ROI. So, price targets should always be treated with a high degree of skepticism.
Why ACIW Could Witness a Solid UpsideAnalysts' growing optimism over the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by strong agreement among them in revising EPS estimates higher, could be a legitimate reason to expect an upside in the stock. That's because empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has increased 4.5% over the past month, as one estimate has gone higher compared to no negative revision.
Moreover, ACIW currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), which means it is in the top 5% of more than 4,000 stocks that we rank based on four factors related to earnings estimates. Given an impressive externally-audited track record, this is a more conclusive indication of the stock's potential upside in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
Therefore, while the consensus price target may not be a reliable indicator of how much ACIW could gain, the direction of price movement it implies does appear to be a good guide.
Here are three stocks with buy rank and strong value characteristics for investors to consider today, September 4:
WESCO International, Inc. (WCC - Free Report) : This B2B distribution and logistics company carries a Zacks Rank #1, and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing by 6% over the last 60 days.
WESCO International has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 19.71 compared with 17.90 for the S&P. The company possesses a Value Scoreof B.
ACI Worldwide, Inc. (ACIW - Free Report) : This payment technology company carries a Zacks Rank #1, and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing by 4.2% over the last 60 days.
ACI Worldwide has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 14.99 compared with 21.30 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of B.
First Advantage Corporation (FA - Free Report) : This identity verification company carries a Zacks Rank #1, and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 4.9% over the last 60 days.
First Advantage has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 15.52 compared with 22.33 for the S&P. The company possesses a Value Score of B.
See the full list of top ranked stocks here.
Learn more about the Value score and how it is calculated here.
ACI Worldwide has agreed to acquire Cranium Ventures, a privately held developer of cloud-native card payment switching technology, as it seeks to expand its card-processing capabilities. The Omaha, Nebraska, payments technology company said Tuesday (Sept.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Cranium Ventures, a privately held developer of cloud-native card payment switching technology. The technology will be added to ACI Connetic for Cards, which ACI launched in March 2026. ACI Connetic is the platform behind ACI's intelligent payments orchestration strategy, introduced in 2025 as the industry's first.
OMAHA, Neb. & ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $ACIW #Banking--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced that Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) has selected ACI Connetic for the payment processing behind its member funding services. The work will cover the Bank's activity on the Fedwire Funds Service. FHLBank Atlanta originated $234.8 billion of advances in the first half of 2026. That volume reflects hundreds of individual advance transaction.
Uncertainty prevailing over global macroeconomic conditions continues to be concerning for the Zacks Computer Software industry participants, as this might upend IT budgets. The software industry remains highly competitive, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) area, which can lead to pricing pressure that could impact margins.
However, the industry's evolving trends point to momentum ahead. The industry participants are positioned for long-term growth as businesses around the globe accelerate their digital transformation initiatives. The ongoing migration to cloud and the widespread adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models continue to provide recurring revenue visibility for vendors while giving customers the scalability, flexibility and cost efficiency they increasingly demand.
At the same time, rapid advances in AI and machine learning (“ML”) are reshaping the industry. The cutting-edge technologies are being swiftly integrated into enterprise and consumer applications. Software vendors are increasingly embedding generative AI into productivity tools, customer service platforms and enterprise resource planning systems. Per a Precedence Research report, the global software market is expected to witness a CAGR of 11.6% from 2026 to 2035 to reach 2,468.93 billion. These trends augur well for industry participants, such as Oracle Corporation (ORCL - Free Report) , ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) and Progress Software Corporation (PRGS - Free Report) .
Industry Description
The Zacks Computer Software industry includes companies that provide software applications related to AI, cloud computing, electronic design automation (primarily for semiconductor and electronics industries), digital media and marketing, customer relationship management, on-premises and cloud-based database management, accounting and tax purposes, human capital management, cybersecurity and application performance monitoring and a cloud-based enterprise communications platform. Some companies develop and market simulation software (like computer-aided design or CAD, 3D modeling, product lifecycle management or PLM, data orchestration and experience creation), which engineers, designers and researchers use across various industries like architecture, engineering and construction, product design, manufacturing and digital media.
3 Trends Shaping the Future of the Software Industry Higher Spending on AI and Cloud: Cloud computing will continue to be a dominant force in the software industry, with businesses adopting hybrid and multi-cloud environments to meet their growing needs for flexibility and scalability. Cloud offers a flexible and cost-effective platform for developing and testing applications. The deployment time is also shorter compared with legacy systems. SaaS companies are expected to register strong top-line growth on a higher percentage of recurring revenues, subscription gross margin and a lower churn rate.
However, AI, Generative AI, in particular, is now becoming the defining force behind the next chapter of software evolution. The continued investment in AI, big data and analytics, and the ongoing adoption of SaaS open up opportunities for these players. Going forward, AI and ML tech are expected to be widely integrated into software tools. This increasing demand for AI-powered software tools for automation, personalization, predictive analytics and decision-making augurs well.
According to a report from Gartner, worldwide AI spending is projected to reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, calling for an increase of 47% from 2025 levels. Spending on AI-related software continues to rise, according to Gartner, with the estimated spend at $453.2 billion, up from $282.9 billion in 2025.
Increased Cybersecurity Focus: The increasing need to secure cloud platforms amid growing cyberattacks and hacking incidents drives demand for cybersecurity software. As software becomes more interconnected, cloud-native and AI-powered, it is driving the demand for performance management monitoring tools that are scalable and suitable for cloud-based environments. Zero-trust architectures, identity and access management and real-time threat detection powered by AI are becoming essential features of modern software platforms.
Macroeconomic Headwinds a Concern: Global macroeconomic weakness and volatile supply-chain dynamics are persistent concerns. Though tariff troubles are unlikely to affect the software industry directly, higher tariffs on hardware would lead to higher costs. This would affect software pricing as well. Inflation could affect spending across small and medium-sized businesses globally. The uncertainty in business visibility could dent the industry’s performance in the near term.
Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bleak Prospects The Zacks Computer Software industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. This carries a Zacks Industry Rank #165, which places it in the bottom 33% of more than 247 Zacks industries.
The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bleak near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.
Before we present a few stocks you may want to consider for your portfolio, given their bright prospects, let us look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.
Industry Underperforms the Sector and the S&P 500 The Zacks Computer Software industry has underperformed the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the S&P 500 Index in the past year.
The industry has lost 12.1% over this period against the S&P 500 and the broader sector’s increases of 20.3% and 26.7%, respectively.
One-Year Price Performance
Industry's Current Valuation Based on the forward 12-month P/E, a commonly used multiple for valuing software companies, we see that the industry is currently trading at 22.95X compared with the S&P 500’s 20.32X. It is also up from the sector’s forward-12-month P/E of 20.66X.
In the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 35.33X and as low as 18.97X, with the median being 30.13X, as the chart below shows.
Forward 12-Month Price-to-Earnings (P/E) Ratio
Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio
3 Software Stocks to Add to Watchlist ACI Worldwide develops software solutions that enable intelligent payments orchestration for banks, merchants and billers.
On the second-quarter 2026 earnings call, management noted a significant opportunity as financial institutions deal with complex payment environments, including more payment types and rails, greater real-time payment adoption, increasing fraud threats and dynamic regulations. This is pushing customers to transform legacy infrastructure.
ACI Worldwide delivered second-quarter revenues of $430 million, up 7% year over year, while adjusted EBITDA increased 12% to $91 million. The Payment Software segment was a key contributor, with revenues up 9% to $196 million. Issuing and acquiring grew 33% in constant currency, supported by large expansions with renewing customers.
AI is becoming another differentiator across ACI's portfolio. The company has embedded context-dependent intelligent routing and scoring capability within Connetic and has added tools that accelerate standard API deployment and customer implementation within its Speedpay One solution.
ACI raised its 2026 guidance following the strong first-half performance. Revenues are now expected at $1.895-$1.925 billion, up from the prior $1.89-$1.92 billion range, while adjusted EBITDA guidance increased to $545-$560 million from $540-$555 million.
ACIW currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.50 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 23.7%. The stock has declined 8.1% in the past year.
ncertainty prevailing over global macroeconomic conditions continues to be concerning for the Zacks Computer Software industry participants, as this might upend IT budgets. The software industry remains highly competitive, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) area, which can lead to pricing pressure that could impact margins.
However, the industry's evolving trends point to momentum ahead. The industry participants are positioned for long-term growth as businesses around the globe accelerate their digital transformation initiatives. The ongoing migration to cloud and the widespread adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models continue to provide recurring revenue visibility for vendors while giving customers the scalability, flexibility and cost efficiency they increasingly demand.
At the same time, rapid advances in AI and machine learning (“ML”) are reshaping the industry. The cutting-edge technologies are being swiftly integrated into enterprise and consumer applications. Software vendors are increasingly embedding generative AI into productivity tools, customer service platforms and enterprise resource planning systems.
Per a Precedence Research report, the global software market is expected to witness a CAGR of 11.6% from 2026 to 2035 to reach 2,468.93 billion. These trends augur well for industry participants, such as Oracle Corp., ACI Worldwide and Progress Software Corp.
Industry DescriptionThe Zacks Computer Software industry includes companies that provide software applications related to AI, cloud computing, electronic design automation (primarily for semiconductor and electronics industries), digital media and marketing, customer relationship management, on-premises and cloud-based database management, accounting and tax purposes, human capital management, cybersecurity and application performance monitoring and a cloud-based enterprise communications platform.
Some companies develop and market simulation software (like computer-aided design or CAD, 3D modeling, product lifecycle management or PLM, data orchestration and experience creation), which engineers, designers and researchers use across various industries like architecture, engineering and construction, product design, manufacturing and digital media.
3 Trends Shaping the Future of the Software IndustryHigher Spending on AI and Cloud: Cloud computing will continue to be a dominant force in the software industry, with businesses adopting hybrid and multi-cloud environments to meet their growing needs for flexibility and scalability. Cloud offers a flexible and cost-effective platform for developing and testing applications. The deployment time is also shorter compared with legacy systems. SaaS companies are expected to register strong top-line growth on a higher percentage of recurring revenues, subscription gross margin and a lower churn rate.
However, AI, Generative AI, in particular, is now becoming the defining force behind the next chapter of software evolution. The continued investment in AI, big data and analytics, and the ongoing adoption of SaaS open up opportunities for these players. Going forward, AI and ML tech are expected to be widely integrated into software tools. This increasing demand for AI-powered software tools for automation, personalization, predictive analytics and decision-making augurs well.
According to a report from Gartner, worldwide AI spending is projected to reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, calling for an increase of 47% from 2025 levels. Spending on AI-related software continues to rise, according to Gartner, with the estimated spend at $453.2 billion, up from $282.9 billion in 2025.
Increased Cybersecurity Focus:The increasing need to secure cloud platforms amid growing cyberattacks and hacking incidents drives demand for cybersecurity software. As software becomes more interconnected, cloud-native and AI-powered, it is driving the demand for performance management monitoring tools that are scalable and suitable for cloud-based environments. Zero-trust architectures, identity and access management and real-time threat detection powered by AI are becoming essential features of modern software platforms.
Macroeconomic Headwinds a Concern: Global macroeconomic weakness and volatile supply-chain dynamics are persistent concerns. Though tariff troubles are unlikely to affect the software industry directly, higher tariffs on hardware would lead to higher costs. This would affect software pricing as well. Inflation could affect spending across small and medium-sized businesses globally. The uncertainty in business visibility could dent the industry’s performance in the near term.
Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bleak ProspectsThe Zacks Computer Software industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. This carries a Zacks Industry Rank #165, which places it in the bottom 33% of more than 247 Zacks industries.
The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bleak near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.
Before we present a few stocks you may want to consider for your portfolio, given their bright prospects, let us look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.
Industry Underperforms the Sector and the S&P 500The Zacks Computer Software industry has underperformed the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the S&P 500 Index in the past year.
The industry has lost 12.1% over this period against the S&P 500 and the broader sector’s increases of 20.3% and 26.7%, respectively.
Industry's Current ValuationBased on the forward 12-month P/E, a commonly used multiple for valuing software companies, we see that the industry is currently trading at 22.95X compared with the S&P 500’s 20.32X. It is also up from the sector’s forward-12-month P/E of 20.66X.
In the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 35.33X and as low as 18.97X, with the median being 30.13X.
3 Software Stocks to Add to WatchlistACI Worldwide develops software solutions that enable intelligent payments orchestration for banks, merchants and billers.
On the second-quarter 2026 earnings call, management noted a significant opportunity as financial institutions deal with complex payment environments, including more payment types and rails, greater real-time payment adoption, increasing fraud threats and dynamic regulations. This is pushing customers to transform legacy infrastructure.
ACI Worldwide delivered second-quarter revenues of $430 million, up 7% year over year, while adjusted EBITDA increased 12% to $91 million. The Payment Software segment was a key contributor, with revenues up 9% to $196 million. Issuing and acquiring grew 33% in constant currency, supported by large expansions with renewing customers.
AI is becoming another differentiator across ACI's portfolio. The company has embedded context-dependent intelligent routing and scoring capability within Connetic and has added tools that accelerate standard API deployment and customer implementation within its Speedpay One solution.
ACI raised its 2026 guidance following the strong first-half performance. Revenues are now expected at $1.895-$1.925 billion, up from the prior $1.89-$1.92 billion range, while adjusted EBITDA guidance increased to $545-$560 million from $540-$555 million.
ACIW currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.50 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 23.7%. The stock has declined 8.1% in the past year.
Oracle is one of the well-known names in the tech space. The company’s operations span from enterprise software to cloud services and database management systems.
Oracle’s database and cloud infrastructure businesses are fast gaining momentum. On the last earnings call, the company highlighted that the multicloud database opportunity was in the early stages. Continued expansion into new regions and partnerships with other cloud providers should support growth.
Oracle delivered fourth-quarter revenues of $19.2 billion, rising 21% year over year. Cloud infrastructure revenues surged 93% year over year, driven by demand for AI workloads and database services. Cloud applications revenues increased 10% to $4.1 billion, while SaaS deferred revenues grew 16%. Oracle’s cloud database business grew 29%, with multicloud revenues up 404%, while bookings jumped 325% year over year.
Oracle’s remaining performance obligations (“RPO”) stood at an impressive $638 billion, underscoring strong forward visibility. The massive RPO backlog, coupled with demand across AI infrastructure and cloud services, provides a clear runway for sustained growth.
For fiscal 2027, management reiterated its revenue target of $90 billion and raised non-GAAP earnings per share guidance to $8.05, representing 18% constant-currency growth.
ORCL currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s fiscal 2027 earnings is pegged at $8.03 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 5.2%. The stock has declined 38.6% in the past year.
Progress Software is benefiting from strength in its product portfolio, comprising offerings such as OpenEdge, WhatsUp Gold, ShareFile, Loadmaster, MOVEit and DevTools. The company’s platform aids in developing and deploying mission-critical business applications.
Strength in data platform products as clients increasingly use enterprise data to provide context for AI applications bodes well. Progress' data and content business represents more than two-thirds of the total business, making this an increasingly important source of potential long-term growth. Progress is also benefiting from increasing demand for infrastructure management and content-driven workflow automation solutions.
Progress is embedding AI capabilities across its products, enabling customers to improve business outcomes. It recently unveiled Chef Enterprise Management for NVIDIA DGX Spark, expanding Chef's infrastructure-management capabilities into AI computing environments.
Fiscal second-quarter revenues increased 7% year over year to approximately $253 million. ARR reached $868 million, representing 2% year-over-year growth in constant currency, while net retention stood at 100%.
For fiscal 2026, Progress raised its revenue forecast to $990 million to slightly more than $1 billion, implying growth of approximately 1-2.5% over fiscal 2025.
PRGS currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $6.16 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 7.7%. The stock has declined 7.6% in the past year.
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ACI Worldwide is rated Buy, leveraging a sticky customer base, strong margins, and a reasonable 14.6x forward P/E. Payment Software drives the investment case, with 9% segment growth and a 48% adjusted EBITDA margin, fueled by renewals, pricing, and cross-selling. Connetic provides a modernization path for legacy clients, but the current valuation does not require rapid platform adoption or a Biller sale.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $ACIW #Payments--Access to richer payments performance data across all channels was the payments orchestration benefit retail payments professionals selected most often, at 47%, according to new research from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology. Respondents could pick up to three from nine options, and reduced payment-processing cost through competitive routing was selected least often, at 19%. The research was commissioned and funded b.
BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,381,401 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $823,821,000. BlackRock Inc. owned approximately 16.11% of ACI Worldwide at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of ACI Worldwide during the second quarter worth approximately $5,600,000. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in ACI Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,622,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in ACI Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $311,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in ACI Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $154,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in ACI Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth $31,949,000. 94.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson set a $66.00 price objective on ACI Worldwide and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of ACI Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut ACI Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised ACI Worldwide from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACI Worldwide ACI Worldwide Stock Up 0.6% Shares of NASDAQ ACIW opened at $51.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.79 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.58. ACI Worldwide, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.05 and a 1 year high of $61.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $53.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.80.
About ACI Worldwide (Free Report)
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.
See Also Five stocks we like better than ACI Worldwide 2 Biotech Stocks Shaping Up for Major Breakouts 3 Stocks Came Roaring Back—Now They’re Flashing Warning Signs 3 Beaten-Down Stocks That Haven’t Gotten the Message About the S&P 500’s Record Run Darden Restaurants Just Hit a 52-Week High–Is the Olive Garden Comeback Story Legit? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACIW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report).
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ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, and Inter Pag, the merchant acquiring business of Banco Inter, today announced a strategic partnership to help power the next phase of Inter Pag's growth in Brazil. Combining cloud-enabled acquiring capabilities with payments intelligence, AI-driven fraud prevention, analytics, advanced ecommerce tools and orchestration, the partnership will support Inter Pag's modernization strategy while helping the company scale, innovate, and respond to rapidly evolving merchant needs.
As part of the agreement, Inter Pag has selected the ACI Acquiring Platform, which also includes back-office card management capabilities powered by RS2, built on the strategic partnership launched by ACI and RS2 in Brazil in 2024. The platform will serve as the foundation for Inter Pag's next phase of growth, enabling the company to simplify operations, increase flexibility, strengthen resiliency, and bring new payment services to market faster.
Serving more than 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses across Brazil, Inter Pag is investing in modern payments infrastructure to support growing transaction volumes and evolving merchant expectations. As digital payments adoption accelerates, merchants increasingly require support for a broader range of payment methods, value-added services and real-time experiences, creating new demands on acquiring platforms.
The agreement comes at a time when Brazil is emerging as one of the world's fastest-growing and most innovative digital payments markets. Since its launch in 2020, Pix has grown to nearly 170 million users, fundamentally reshaping how consumers and businesses make and receive payments.* It is now the country's most widely used payment method, accounting for 54.7% of all payment transactions in the second half of 2025.**
As Pix and other alternative payment methods continue to gain traction, acquirers face growing pressure to modernize infrastructure that can support new payment experiences, greater transaction volumes, stronger fraud controls, and faster innovation. Increasingly, they also need intelligent platforms capable of using AI and real-time analytics to optimize performance and respond to changing market conditions.
Against this backdrop, Inter Pag is investing in a modern platform designed to support future growth, innovation, and operational efficiency.
"Brazil has become one of the most dynamic payments markets in the world. The success of Pix, the growth of digital commerce and rapidly changing merchant expectations are accelerating the need for modernization across the acquiring industry," said Vlademir Santos, head of sales, Brazil, ACI Worldwide. "Reliable, secure and resilient payment processing remains essential, but increasingly acquirers also need payments intelligence, AI-driven insights, orchestration capabilities and the flexibility to innovate faster. Modern payments infrastructure is no longer just about processing transactions. It's about turning payments into a strategic growth engine."
"Modernizing our acquiring infrastructure is an important part of our strategy as we continue to evolve our payments capabilities and strengthen the experience we provide to merchants," said Gustavo Cunha Borges, head of technology, Banco Inter. "We were looking for a platform that would provide the flexibility, scalability and resilience required for the next phase of our modernization journey. The ACI Acquiring platform provides a strong foundation to support innovation, operational efficiency and future growth."
###
Editor's Note:
*Data source: Pix user and transaction data according to the Central Bank of Brazil's Pix statistics dashboard: https://www.bcb.gov.br/estabilidadefinanceira/pix-em-numeros-estatisticas
**Data source: Febraban Tech, April 2026 https://febrabantech.febraban.org.br/temas/meios-de-pagamento/pix-cresce-e-segue-como-meio-de-pagamento-mais-usado-no-brasil
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With more than 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
About Inter Pag
Inter Pag is Inter's payment solution for merchants and entrepreneurs. It enables businesses to accept debit and credit card payments through physical POS terminals, mobile devices using Tap to Pay, as well as Pix payments and payment links integrated with the digital account.
Copyright ACI Worldwide, Inc. 2026
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries or both. Other parties’ trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
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Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report) by 72.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 110,063 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 296,164 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.11% of ACI Worldwide worth $5,535,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACIW. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in ACI Worldwide by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 516,342 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,814,000 after purchasing an additional 74,085 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 379.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 82,590 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,387,000 after purchasing an additional 65,380 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 166,400 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,956,000 after purchasing an additional 35,700 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of ACI Worldwide by 79.7% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 58,680 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after purchasing an additional 26,026 shares during the period. Finally, London Co. of Virginia increased its holdings in shares of ACI Worldwide by 19.9% during the first quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 1,680,581 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $68,921,000 after purchasing an additional 278,744 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.73% of the company’s stock.
ACI Worldwide Stock Performance NASDAQ ACIW opened at $52.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.33. ACI Worldwide, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.05 and a 1 year high of $61.08.
Analyst Ratings Changes ACIW has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson set a $66.00 price target on ACI Worldwide and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded ACI Worldwide from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen cut ACI Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded ACI Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ACI Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $66.00.
Read Our Latest Analysis on ACIW
ACI Worldwide Profile (Free Report)
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.
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Amundi grew its holdings in shares of ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report) by 79.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,680 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 26,026 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.06% of ACI Worldwide worth $2,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in ACI Worldwide by 879.8% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,430,404 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $75,482,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284,419 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in ACI Worldwide during the 4th quarter worth $54,735,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 90.3% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,816,588 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $86,851,000 after purchasing an additional 861,779 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,813,150 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $115,364,000 after purchasing an additional 344,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 1,875.6% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 350,333 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $14,367,000 after purchasing an additional 332,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.73% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting ACI Worldwide Here are the key news stories impacting ACI Worldwide this week:
Positive Sentiment: ACI Worldwide reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.54 per share, up from $0.35 a year earlier and above consensus estimates. Revenue rose 7.3% year over year to approximately $430.4 million, broadly in line with expectations. ACI Worldwide Q2 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year 2026 outlook and reaffirmed revenue guidance of roughly $1.9 billion, signaling confidence in demand and the company’s growth trajectory. ACI Worldwide Reports Strong Second Quarter 2026 Results and Raises Full-Year Guidance Positive Sentiment: The earnings beat, year-over-year profit growth and upgraded outlook support the view that ACI Worldwide remains attractive to momentum-focused investors. Here’s Why ACI Worldwide Is a Great Momentum Stock to Buy Neutral Sentiment: ACI Worldwide plans to participate in upcoming investor conferences, which could provide additional information about its strategy and outlook but is not a material earnings catalyst by itself. ACI Worldwide to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of $417 million to $427 million is well below the analyst consensus of $472.1 million. This sharp gap likely overshadowed the quarterly earnings beat and raised concerns about a temporary slowdown in growth or the timing of customer and transaction volumes. ACI Worldwide Raises 2026 Outlook on Strong Quarter Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth ACIW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of ACI Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on ACI Worldwide from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ACI Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised ACI Worldwide from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide Stock Performance Shares of ACIW stock opened at $55.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.75 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $51.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.11. ACI Worldwide, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.05 and a 52 week high of $61.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $425.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $410.08 million. ACI Worldwide had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.51%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that ACI Worldwide, Inc. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.
About ACI Worldwide (Free Report)
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.
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Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a stock's recent trend in either direction. In "long context," investors will be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.
While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) , a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. ACI Worldwide currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.
You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>
Set to Beat the Market?Let's discuss some of the components of the Momentum Style Score for ACIW that show why this maker of software for electronic payments shows promise as a solid momentum pick.
A good momentum benchmark for a stock is to look at its short-term price activity, as this can reflect both current interest and if buyers or sellers currently have the upper hand. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.
For ACIW, shares are up 1.81% over the past week while the Zacks Computer - Software industry is up 3.85% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 3.42% compares favorably with the industry's 1.22% performance as well.
While any stock can see its price increase, it takes a real winner to consistently beat the market. That is why looking at longer term price metrics -- such as performance over the past three months or year -- can be useful as well. Shares of ACI Worldwide have increased 41.61% over the past quarter, and have gained 37.11% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 6.65% and 23.84%, respectively.
Investors should also pay attention to ACIW's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. ACIW is currently averaging 1,023,932 shares for the last 20 days.
Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with ACIW.
Over the past two months, 1 earnings estimate moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. This revision helped boost ACIW's consensus estimate, increasing from $3.36 to $3.46 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 1 estimate has moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.
Bottom LineGiven these factors, it shouldn't be surprising that ACIW is a #2 (Buy) stock and boasts a Momentum Score of B. If you're looking for a fresh pick that's set to soar in the near-term, make sure to keep ACI Worldwide on your short list.
ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.54 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.35 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +5.88%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of software for electronic payments would post earnings of $0.45 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.61, delivering a surprise of +35.56%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.
ACI Worldwide, which belongs to the Zacks Computer - Software industry, posted revenues of $430.42 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.17%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $401.26 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
ACI Worldwide shares have added about 20.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 12.8%.
What's Next for ACI Worldwide?While ACI Worldwide has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for ACI Worldwide was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.92 on $417.9 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.46 on $1.9 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Computer - Software is currently in the top 35% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Another stock from the same industry, Intuit (INTU - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended July 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 25.
This maker of TurboTax, QuickBooks and other accounting software is expected to post quarterly earnings of $3.59 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +30.6%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.2% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.
Intuit's revenues are expected to be $4.27 billion, up 11.5% from the year-ago quarter.
Why Q2 Holdings Stock Could Be Your Next Big BuyACI Worldwide NASDAQ: ACIW reported second-quarter 2026 revenue growth of 7% and raised its full-year outlook, citing momentum in its Payment Software business, continued adoption of its cloud-native platforms and expanding customer modernization demand.
Second-quarter revenue totaled $430 million, up 7% from a year earlier on a reported basis and 6% in constant currency. Net income rose to $32 million from $12 million in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 54% to $0.54, while adjusted EBITDA rose 12% to $91 million. Net adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 34% from 32% a year earlier.
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3 Fintech Stocks With Good 2021 ProspectsPresident and CEO Thomas Warsop said the company’s margin improvement reflected expense discipline alongside continued investment in innovation. Research and development spending increased 17% during the quarter, according to CFO Robert Leibrock.
Payment Software Leads Growth ACI’s Payment Software segment generated $196 million in second-quarter revenue, up 9% reported and 7% in constant currency. Segment adjusted EBITDA increased 12% to $94 million, producing a 48% net adjusted EBITDA margin.
The segment was supported by strength in issuing and acquiring, where revenue increased 37% on a reported basis, or 33% in constant currency. Leibrock attributed the growth to large expansions with renewing customers. Warsop said the performance was broad-based, including transaction-volume growth, pricing on renewals, new product launches and cross-selling of value-added services.
Merchant and anti-fraud solutions each grew in the mid-single digits. Real-time payments revenue declined from the prior-year period because the number of renewal and expansion opportunities was lower, though the company said retention and expansion performance remained strong. ACI expects real-time payments to contribute to growth for the full year.
Warsop said payments customers are increasingly focused on modernizing infrastructure as they manage more payment types and rails, rising real-time payment adoption, fraud risks and regulatory requirements. He said those conversations have shifted from selling individual software products to helping financial institutions and merchants update their broader payments environments.
ACI Connetic Wins and AI Initiatives The company signed its first U.S.-based ACI Connetic customer during the second quarter and signed another shortly after the quarter ended. Warsop said the first customer was an existing ACI customer that will convert from an existing solution to Connetic in the coming months.
ACI Connetic is a cloud-native platform designed to connect payment types and support payment intelligence and orchestration. Warsop said its pipeline is the company’s fastest-growing solution set and has been for several quarters. All Connetic signings to date have been software-as-a-service arrangements, Leibrock said.
In the United States, initial Connetic use cases are concentrated around account-to-account payments, including real-time payments, high-value wire transfers and SWIFT payments, according to Warsop. The platform is enabled across eight sets of U.S. payment rails, he said.
ACI also highlighted artificial intelligence applications across its operations and products. Warsop said an AI mandate analyzer has reduced the time required to interpret payment-scheme mandates from two to three weeks to minutes or hours. In the Biller business, AI-supported re-architecture work on a common product reduced effort by about 50% and saved more than 6,000 engineering hours, he said.
The company has also deployed AI-powered routing and scoring capabilities in Connetic and tools intended to simplify API deployment and customer implementations for its ACI Speedpay ONE platform.
Biller Growth Continues Despite Comparisons Biller segment revenue increased 5% to $234 million. The business faced difficult comparisons with unusually strong prior-year transaction volumes and certain prior-year credits that did not recur. Results also included a one-time charge related to a partnership that has been terminated and is not expected to recur.
Leibrock said the one-time charge was included in adjusted EBITDA rather than excluded as an adjustment. He said it represented less than half of the segment’s year-over-year EBITDA contraction, with the remainder tied to seasonality, revenue mix and prior-year comparison items.
Despite those factors, management said customer demand remained healthy. ACI has more than 100 customers live on the Speedpay ONE platform and continues to add customers and expand relationships with existing clients. During the quarter, Biller signed two new customer logos, while 80% of bookings represented expansions by existing customers, Leibrock said.
The company expects upper-single-digit revenue growth in Biller for the full year and expects net revenue growth to more closely track gross revenue growth during the remainder of 2026.
Guidance Raised, Buybacks Continue For the first half, ACI reported revenue of $956 million, up 8% on a reported basis, and adjusted EBITDA of $196 million, up 12%. Year-to-date operating cash flow was $135 million.
ACI raised its full-year revenue outlook to a range of $1.895 billion to $1.925 billion, from prior guidance of $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion. The company increased expected adjusted EBITDA to $545 million to $560 million, from $540 million to $555 million previously.
Management expects approximately 40% of second-half revenue in the third quarter and 60% in the fourth quarter, primarily because of the timing of high-margin Payment Software license renewals. The company forecast third-quarter revenue of $417 million to $427 million and adjusted EBITDA of $90 million to $95 million.
ACI repurchased approximately 948,000 shares for $41 million during the second quarter, bringing year-to-date repurchases to about 2.5 million shares for $107 million. The company ended the quarter with $167 million in cash, a net leverage ratio of 1.2 times adjusted EBITDA and approximately $349 million remaining under its repurchase authorization.
About ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW)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.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading provider of global payments technology, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026 and increased financial guidance for full-year 2026.
"Signing two U.S.-based customers for ACI Connetic is a significant milestone and validates both the strength of our cloud-native payments platform and the growing demand for payments modernization in the world's largest banking market," said Thomas Warsop, President and CEO of ACI Worldwide.
"In the second quarter, we delivered 7% revenue growth, expanded EBITDA margins and continued to execute our balanced capital allocation strategy. We continued to invest in ACI Connetic to support long-term organic growth and, at the same time, returned capital to shareholders through share repurchases. As a result of our strong first-half performance, we are increasing our full-year revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance. We enter the second half of 2026 with strong momentum, a healthy pipeline and confidence in our ability to create long-term shareholder value."
Q2 2026 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
In Q2 2026, total revenue was $430 million, up 7% from Q2 2025, or up 6% on a constant currency basis. Recurring revenue was $336 million, up 5% from Q2 2025, or up 4% on a constant currency basis.
Net income of $32 million in Q2 2026 compares to net income of $12 million in Q2 2025. Total adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2026 was $91 million, up 12% from Q2 2025, or up 9% on a constant currency basis. Net adjusted EBITDA margin in Q2 2026 was 34%, up from 32% in Q2 2025.
GAAP diluted EPS in Q2 2026 was $0.31 and adjusted diluted EPS was $0.54, up 54% from Q2 2025.
PAYMENT SOFTWARE SEGMENT RESULTS
Payment Software revenue in Q2 2026 was $196 million, up 9% from Q2 2025, or up 7% on a constant currency basis. The segment saw particular strength from Issuing and Acquiring revenue, which increased 33% on a constant currency basis versus Q2 2025, driven by large expansions with renewing customers. Payments Intelligence and Merchant Payments revenue each increased 3% on a constant currency basis in the quarter. Real-Time Payments revenue was $23 million, down from last year due to renewal timing. Recurring revenue in the segment, which represents SaaS and Maintenance revenues, increased 3%, versus Q2 2025, or 2% on a constant currency basis.
Payment Software adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2026 was $94 million, up 12%, or up 9% on a constant currency basis from Q2 2025 driven by operating leverage and disciplined expense management, partially offset by ongoing growth investments. As a result, net adjusted EBITDA margin in Q2 2026 was 48%, up from 46% in Q2 2025.
BILLER SEGMENT RESULTS
Biller revenue in Q2 2026 was $234 million, up 5% from Q2 2025 on a reported and constant currency basis. Biller revenue, net of interchange fees, was $68 million, down 3%, from Q2 2025, driven by a strong comparison with significant new onboarding and transactions in the same period last year, as previously discussed. Based on new business wins and current transactions trends, the company’s expectation for full-year 2026 Biller revenue growth in the high single digits remains unchanged.
Biller adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2026 was $35 million, down 13%, from Q2 2025. Net adjusted EBITDA margin, net of interchange fees, was 51%, down from 56% in Q2 2025. Results in the current period reflected lower net revenue compared to the strong prior-year, the impact of certain discrete operating expenses and continued investments in Speedpay ONE.
YEAR-TO-DATE 2026 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Year-to-date 2026 total revenue was $856 million, up 8% from year-to-date 2025, or up 6% on a constant currency basis. Recurring revenue was $649 million, up 7% from year-to-date 2025, or up 6% on a constant currency basis. Year-to-date 2026 net income of $70 million compares to net income of $71 million for year-to-date 2025, which included a $22 million after-tax gain on the sale of our minority interest in Mindgate. GAAP diluted EPS for year-to-date 2026 was $0.69 and adjusted diluted EPS was $1.16, up 35% from year-to-date 2025.
Total adjusted EBITDA for year-to-date 2026 was $196 million, up 12% from year-to-date 2025, or up 8% on a constant currency basis. Net adjusted EBITDA margin for year-to-date 2026 was 36%, up from 34% in year-to-date 2025.
NEW BOOKINGS
Net new ARR bookings in Q2 2026 were $18 million, down 25%, from Q2 2025, as strength in Biller segment ARR growth was offset by the timing of expected Payment Software contracts. New license and services bookings were $59 million in Q2 2026, up 2% from Q2 2025. Net new ARR bookings for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2026 were $68 million, down 15% from 2025. New license and services bookings for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2026 were $255 million down 12% from 2025. The company expects full year 2026 growth for both new ARR and new license and services bookings.
BALANCE SHEET AND LIQUIDITY, CASH FLOW, AND REPURCHASES
ACI ended Q2 2026 with $167 million in cash on hand and a debt balance of $826 million, representing a net debt leverage ratio of 1.2x adjusted EBITDA. ACI had total cash and available liquidity under its credit facility of $540 million. Operating cash flows for year-to-date 2026 were $135 million, up from $128 million for year-to-date 2025.
During Q2 2026, the company repurchased approximately 948,000 shares for approximately $41 million at an average price of $43.75. Year-to-date 2026, repurchases totaled 2.5 million shares for approximately $107 million at an average price of $42.75. The company has approximately $349 million remaining available on the share repurchase authorization and continues to expect to allocate 50-60% of operating cash flow to share repurchases for the full year, subject to market conditions.
RAISING 2026 GUIDANCE
Based on first half 2026 performance and the strength of its pipeline, the company is increasing its full-year 2026 guidance. The company now expects revenue in the range of $1.895 billion to $1.925 billion, up from the prior range of $1.890 billion to $1.920 billion, and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $545 million to $560 million, up from $540 million to $555 million. For the second half of 2026, the company continues to expect an approximately 40% and 60% revenue weighting for Q3 and Q4, respectively, driven by the timing of high margin Payment Software license renewals. This equates to revenue of $417 million to $427 million in Q3 2026. Adjusted EBITDA in Q3 2026 is expected to be $90 million to $95 million.
CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS FINANCIAL RESULTS
Today, management will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss these results.
Pre-registration provides a unique passcode to join without operator assistance.
Dial-in:
USA Toll-Free: 1 833 461 5787 or International Toll: 1 585 542 9983 Conference ID: 520999677
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers, and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With more than 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay ONE and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries or both. Other parties' trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
To supplement our financial results presented on a GAAP basis, we use the non-GAAP measures indicated in the tables, which exclude significant transaction-related expenses, as well as other significant non-cash expenses such as depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation, that we believe are helpful in understanding our past financial performance and our future results. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to our GAAP results and are not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Management generally compensates for limitations in the use of non-GAAP financial measures by relying on comparable GAAP financial measures and providing investors with a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures only in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way to view aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. Certain non-GAAP measures include:
Adjusted EBITDA: net income (loss) plus income tax expense (benefit), net interest income (expense), net other income (expense), depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation, as well as significant transaction-related expenses. Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, net income (loss). Net Adjusted EBITDA Margin: Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue net of pass-through interchange revenue. Net Adjusted EBITDA Margin should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, net income (loss). Adjusted Diluted EPS: diluted EPS plus tax effected significant transaction related items, amortization of acquired intangibles and software, and non-cash stock-based compensation. Adjusted diluted EPS should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, diluted EPS. Recurring Revenue: revenue from software as a service and platform as a service fees and maintenance fees. Recurring revenue should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, total revenue. ARR: New annual recurring revenue expected to be generated from new accounts, new applications, and add-on sales bookings contracts signed in the period. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Generally, forward-looking statements do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and may include words or phrases such as “believes,” “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” and words and phrases of similar impact. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to: (i) the growing demand for payments modernization in the world’s largest banking market, (ii) we enter the second half of 2026 with strong momentum, a healthy pipeline and confidence in our ability to create long-term shareholder value, (iii) based on new business wins and current transactions trends, the company’s expectation for full-year 2026 Biller revenue growth in the high single digits remains unchanged, (iv) the company expects full year 2026 growth for both new ARR and new license and services bookings, (v) our full‑year outlook including Q3 2026 and full-year 2026 revenue and adjusted EBITDA financial guidance, and (vi) expectations to allocate 50-60% of operating cash flow to share repurchases for the full year, subject to market conditions.
All of the foregoing forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by the risk factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such factors include, but are not limited to, increased competition, business interruptions, cybersecurity incidents or failure of our information technology and communication systems, security breaches, reliance on third-party cloud infrastructure and related services, reliance on third-parties, our ability to attract and retain senior management personnel and skilled technical employees, future acquisitions, strategic partnerships and investments, divestitures and other restructuring activities, implementation and success of our strategy, anti-takeover provisions, exposure to credit or operating risks arising from certain payment funding methods, loss caused by theft or fraud, customer reluctance to switch to a new vendor, our ability to adequately defend our intellectual property, litigation, consent orders and other compliance agreements, our offshore software development activities, risks from operating internationally, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates, adoption of ACI Connetic, adverse changes in the global economy, compliance of our products with applicable legislation, governmental regulations and industry standards, the complexity of our products and services and the risk that they may contain hidden defects, legal and business risks from artificial intelligence technology incorporated into our products, risks to our business from the use of artificial intelligence by our workforce, complex regulations applicable to our payments business, our compliance with privacy and cybersecurity regulations, compliance with requirements of the payment card networks and Nacha, exposure to unknown tax liabilities, changes in tax laws and regulations, consolidations and failures in the financial services industry, volatility in our stock price, demand for our products, failure to obtain renewals of customer contracts or to obtain such renewals on favorable terms, delay or cancellation of customer projects or inaccurate project completion estimates, changes in card association and debit network fees or products, impairment of our goodwill or intangible assets, the accuracy of management’s backlog estimates, the cyclical nature of our revenue and earnings and the accuracy of forecasts due to the concentration of revenue-generating activity during the final weeks of each quarter, restrictions and other financial covenants in our debt agreements, our existing levels of debt, incurring additional debt, events outside of our control including natural disasters, wars, and outbreaks of disease, and revenues or revenue mix below expectations. For a detailed discussion of these risk factors, parties that are relying on the forward-looking statements should review our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
ACI WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(unaudited and in thousands)
June 30, 2026
December 31,
2025
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$
167,398
$
196,462
Receivables, net of allowances
459,253
445,866
Settlement assets
447,171
397,346
Prepaid expenses
43,995
29,876
Other current assets
26,628
19,564
Total current assets
1,144,445
1,089,114
Noncurrent assets
Accrued receivables, net
357,813
391,719
Property and equipment, net
38,041
37,363
Operating lease right-of-use assets
24,687
28,733
Software, net
67,896
77,523
Goodwill
1,230,984
1,231,128
Intangible assets, net
136,156
147,062
Deferred income taxes, net
68,699
73,124
Other noncurrent assets
26,549
29,141
TOTAL ASSETS
$
3,095,270
$
3,104,907
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
$
66,457
$
64,931
Settlement liabilities
444,734
396,034
Employee compensation
38,318
56,142
Current portion of long-term debt
40,973
40,941
Deferred revenue
75,654
73,637
Other current liabilities
57,296
73,958
Total current liabilities
723,432
705,643
Noncurrent liabilities
Deferred revenue
13,024
13,620
Long-term debt
781,204
776,667
Deferred income taxes, net
37,361
38,514
Operating lease liabilities
18,562
22,609
Other noncurrent liabilities
24,943
28,776
Total liabilities
1,598,526
1,585,829
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock
—
—
Common stock
702
702
Additional paid-in capital
761,821
761,523
Retained earnings
1,894,847
1,824,743
Treasury stock
(1,052,735
)
(964,752
)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(107,891
)
(103,138
)
Total stockholders’ equity
1,496,744
1,519,078
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
$
3,095,270
$
3,104,907
ACI WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(unaudited and in thousands, except per share amounts)
Three Months Ended
June 30,
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Revenues
Software as a service and platform as a service
$
284,762
$
271,258
$
546,719
$
508,341
License
68,795
56,711
156,836
141,204
Maintenance
51,558
50,421
102,476
99,063
Services
25,308
22,868
50,141
47,215
Total revenues
430,423
401,258
856,172
795,823
Operating expenses
Cost of revenue (1)
248,850
234,800
477,309
448,178
Research and development
47,900
41,107
91,992
80,015
Selling and marketing
30,603
28,741
60,839
60,927
General and administrative
34,484
37,651
74,700
65,243
Depreciation and amortization
23,937
24,101
49,193
48,086
Total operating expenses
385,774
366,400
754,033
702,449
Operating income
44,649
34,858
102,139
93,374
Other income (expense)
Interest expense
(11,979
)
(14,527
)
(24,177
)
(29,210
)
Interest income
5,592
3,934
9,198
7,998
Other, net
662
(6,393
)
2,188
17,347
Total other income (expense)
(5,725
)
(16,986
)
(12,791
)
(3,865
)
Income before income taxes
38,924
17,872
89,348
89,509
Income tax expense
7,126
5,670
19,244
18,437
Net income
$
31,798
$
12,202
$
70,104
$
71,072
Income per common share
Basic
$
0.31
$
0.12
$
0.69
$
0.68
Diluted
$
0.31
$
0.12
$
0.69
$
0.67
Weighted average common shares outstanding
Basic
101,503
104,376
101,711
104,860
Diluted
101,676
105,103
102,256
105,960
(1) The cost of revenue excludes charges for depreciation but includes amortization of purchased and developed software for resale. ACI WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(unaudited and in thousands)
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income
$
31,798
$
12,202
$
70,104
$
71,072
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows from operating activities:
Depreciation
3,595
3,189
6,995
6,345
Amortization
20,403
20,912
42,322
41,741
Amortization of operating lease right-of-use assets
2,324
2,407
4,661
4,842
Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs
407
620
819
1,270
Deferred income taxes
(2,647
)
(1,745
)
3,681
(4,208
)
Stock-based compensation expense
18,662
16,411
35,619
28,038
Gain on sale of equity investment
—
—
—
(25,927
)
Other
413
1,591
(177
)
873
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Receivables
11,174
7,051
21,334
48,691
Accounts payable
7,820
4,932
8,757
12,411
Accrued employee compensation
6,642
8,980
(17,647
)
(16,202
)
Deferred revenue
(3,569
)
(3,193
)
1,334
(7,841
)
Other current and noncurrent assets and liabilities
(26,233
)
(23,560
)
(42,766
)
(33,087
)
Net cash flows from operating activities
70,789
49,797
135,036
128,018
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment
(6,852
)
(2,156
)
(9,855
)
(4,326
)
Purchases of software
(6,861
)
(5,383
)
(18,369
)
(12,142
)
Proceeds from sale of equity investment
—
—
—
46,021
Net cash flows from investing activities
(13,713
)
(7,539
)
(28,224
)
29,553
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock
861
819
1,766
1,632
Proceeds from exercises of stock options
1,288
214
1,352
796
Repurchase of stock-based compensation awards for tax withholdings
(15,231
)
(13,156
)
(19,070
)
(20,226
)
Repurchases of common stock
(41,476
)
(119,362
)
(106,753
)
(133,770
)
Redemption of 2026 Notes
—
(400,000
)
—
(400,000
)
Proceeds from revolving credit facility
25,000
290,000
40,000
290,000
Repayment of revolving credit facility
—
(30,000
)
(15,000
)
(100,000
)
Proceeds from term portion of credit agreement
—
200,000
—
200,000
Repayment of term portion of credit agreement
(10,625
)
(9,375
)
(21,250
)
(18,750
)
Payments on or proceeds from other debt, net
(7,127
)
(6,447
)
(10,666
)
(10,664
)
Payments for debt issuance costs
—
(134
)
—
(134
)
Net (decrease) increase in settlement assets and liabilities
(24,724
)
(26,751
)
(6,598
)
61,573
Net cash flows from financing activities
(72,034
)
(114,192
)
(136,219
)
(129,543
)
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations on cash
(2,711
)
4,118
(5,130
)
5,909
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
(17,669
)
(67,816
)
(34,537
)
33,937
Cash and cash equivalents, including settlement deposits, beginning of period
242,128
366,771
258,996
265,018
Cash and cash equivalents, including settlement deposits, end of period
$
224,459
$
298,955
$
224,459
$
298,955
Reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents to the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Cash and cash equivalents
$
167,398
$
189,697
$
167,398
$
189,697
Settlement deposits
57,061
109,258
57,061
109,258
Total cash and cash equivalents
$
224,459
$
298,955
$
224,459
$
298,955
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
Adjusted EBITDA (millions)
2026
2025
2026
2025
Net income
$
31.8
$
12.2
$
70.1
$
71.1
Plus:
Income tax expense
7.1
5.7
19.2
18.4
Net interest expense
6.4
10.6
15.0
21.2
Net other (income) expense
(0.7
)
6.4
(2.2
)
(17.3
)
Depreciation expense
3.6
3.2
7.0
6.4
Amortization expense
20.4
20.9
42.3
41.7
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense
18.7
16.4
35.6
28.0
Adjusted EBITDA before significant transaction-related expenses
$
87.3
$
75.4
$
187.1
$
169.5
Significant transaction-related expenses:
Cost reduction strategies
0.4
5.1
5.8
5.1
Other
3.1
0.4
3.1
0.4
Adjusted EBITDA
$
90.8
$
80.9
$
196.0
$
175.0
Revenue, net of interchange:
Revenue
$
430.4
$
401.3
$
856.2
$
795.8
Interchange
165.6
151.1
311.9
281.9
Revenue, net of interchange
$
264.8
$
250.2
$
544.3
$
513.9
Net Adjusted EBITDA Margin
34
%
32
%
36
%
34
%
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
Segment Information (millions)
2026
2025
2026
2025
Revenue
Payment Software
$
196.4
$
179.3
$
409.8
$
380.1
Biller
234.1
221.9
446.3
415.7
Total
$
430.4
$
401.3
$
856.2
$
795.8
Recurring Revenue
Payment Software
$
102.3
$
99.8
$
202.9
$
191.6
Biller
234.1
221.9
446.3
415.8
Total
$
336.3
$
321.7
$
649.2
$
607.4
Segment Adjusted EBITDA
Payment Software
$
93.6
$
83.3
$
206.9
$
189.8
Biller
34.7
39.8
68.7
70.7
Note: Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.
Three Months Ended June 30,
2026
2025
EPS Impact of Non-cash and Significant
Transaction-related Items (millions)
EPS Impact
$ in Millions
(Net of Tax)
EPS Impact
$ in Millions
(Net of Tax)
GAAP net income
$
0.31
$
31.8
$
0.12
$
12.2
Adjusted for:
Significant transaction-related expenses
0.03
2.7
0.04
4.1
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles
0.04
4.2
0.04
4.2
Amortization of acquisition-related software
0.02
1.6
0.03
3.2
Non-cash stock-based compensation
0.14
14.7
0.12
13.0
Total adjustments
$
0.23
$
23.2
$
0.23
$
24.5
Adjusted Diluted EPS
$
0.54
$
55.0
$
0.35
$
36.7
Six Months Ended June 30,
2026
2025
EPS Impact of Non-cash and Significant
Transaction-related Items (millions)
EPS Impact
$ in Millions
(Net of Tax)
EPS Impact
$ in Millions
(Net of Tax)
GAAP net income
$
0.69
$
70.1
$
0.67
$
71.1
Adjusted for:
Gain on sale of equity investment
—
—
(0.20
)
(21.7
)
Significant transaction-related expenses
0.07
6.8
0.04
4.1
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles
0.08
8.4
0.08
8.3
Amortization of acquisition-related software
0.05
4.9
0.06
6.4
Non-cash stock-based compensation
0.27
28.1
0.21
22.2
Total adjustments
$
0.47
$
48.2
$
0.19
$
19.3
Adjusted Diluted EPS
$
1.16
$
118.3
$
0.86
$
90.4
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
Recurring Revenue (millions)
2026
2025
2026
2025
SaaS and PaaS fees
$
284.8
$
271.3
$
546.7
$
508.3
Maintenance fees
51.6
50.4
102.5
99.1
Recurring Revenue
$
336.3
$
321.7
$
649.2
$
607.4
New Bookings (millions)
Three Months Ended June 30,
TTM Ended June 30,
2026
2025
2026
2025
Annual recurring revenue (ARR) bookings
$
18.3
$
24.3
$
67.7
$
79.5
License and services bookings
59.2
58.1
255.2
290.2
Note: Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced that company management will participate in the following investor conferences:
President and CEO Thomas Warsop, CFO Bobby Leibrock and SVP John Kraft will meet with investors at upcoming industry conferences in August and September.
Share KeyBanc Technology Leadership Forum, Park City, UT on August 11 (President and CEO Thomas Warsop, CFO Bobby Leibrock, and SVP John Kraft)
Seaport Research Partners Annual Summer Investor Conference, Virtual on August 18 (CFO Bobby Leibrock and SVP John Kraft)
FT Partners FinTech Conference, New York City on September 15 (President and CEO Thomas Warsop, CFO Bobby Leibrock, and SVP John Kraft)
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers, and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With more than 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay ONE and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries or both. Other parties' trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
The Computer and Technology group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Is ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.
ACI Worldwide is a member of the Computer and Technology sector. This group includes 612 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #2. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. ACI Worldwide is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACIW's full-year earnings has moved 6.3% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.
Based on the most recent data, ACIW has returned 25.4% so far this year. In comparison, Computer and Technology companies have returned an average of 8.9%. This means that ACI Worldwide is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
One other Computer and Technology stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Cadence Design Systems (CDNS - Free Report) . The stock is up 10.3% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for Cadence Design Systems' current year EPS has increased 0.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, ACI Worldwide belongs to the Computer - Software industry, which includes 22 individual stocks and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 22.3% this year, meaning that ACIW is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns. Cadence Design Systems is also part of the same industry.
Investors interested in the Computer and Technology sector may want to keep a close eye on ACI Worldwide and Cadence Design Systems as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report) by 13.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,813,150 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 344,358 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.78% of ACI Worldwide worth $115,364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 226.8% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 536 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 93.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 532 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ACI Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of ACI Worldwide during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 122.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
ACI Worldwide Trading Up 3.6% NASDAQ ACIW opened at $59.97 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.52. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.14 and a beta of 0.98. ACI Worldwide, Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.05 and a 12-month high of $60.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.16. ACI Worldwide had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The business had revenue of $425.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $410.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that ACI Worldwide, Inc. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ACIW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ACI Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded ACI Worldwide from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ACI Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on ACI Worldwide from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.
Get Our Latest Research Report on ACIW
ACI Worldwide Company Profile (Free Report)
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.
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Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 628,457 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 8,862 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.62% of ACI Worldwide worth $25,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACIW. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in ACI Worldwide by 160.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 157,816 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,634,000 after acquiring an additional 97,206 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 93.4% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,472 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of ACI Worldwide during the 1st quarter valued at about $259,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of ACI Worldwide by 64.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,362 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of ACI Worldwide by 13.7% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 48,988 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.73% of the company’s stock.
ACI Worldwide Stock Performance ACIW opened at $57.88 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09 and a beta of 0.98. ACI Worldwide, Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.05 and a 1-year high of $60.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.16. ACI Worldwide had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $425.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $410.08 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that ACI Worldwide, Inc. will post 2.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Ratings Changes Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of ACI Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ACI Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded ACI Worldwide from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on ACI Worldwide from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACIW
ACI Worldwide Profile (Free Report)
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.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than ACI Worldwide AirJoule’s Kubota Deal Is a Major Validation—But the Hard Part Comes Next Dividend Stocks May Be the Quiet Rotation Trade Investors Are Missing Now Refiner Stocks Are Near Record Highs—Can Iran-Driven Margins Keep Them There? Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACIW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report).
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OMAHA, Neb. & MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, and dLocal (NASDAQ: DLO), the leading payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, today announced a strategic partnership that gives global merchants immediate and seamless access to leading local payment methods in Brazil and Mexico through the ACI Payments Orchestration Platform, with Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru planned for future.
Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW – Free Report) by 6,606.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 56,266 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,427 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned about 0.06% of ACI Worldwide worth $2,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in ACI Worldwide by 226.8% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 536 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in ACI Worldwide by 93.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 532 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in ACI Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of ACI Worldwide during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ACI Worldwide by 122.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In ACIW has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research raised ACI Worldwide from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ACI Worldwide from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of ACI Worldwide from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of ACI Worldwide from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, ACI Worldwide presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide Stock Down 0.3% ACIW opened at $56.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $47.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.15. ACI Worldwide, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.05 and a fifty-two week high of $60.17.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.16. ACI Worldwide had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $425.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $410.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that ACI Worldwide, Inc. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.
ACI Worldwide Profile (Free Report)
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.
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Payments provider ACI Worldwide is reportedly considering a sale of its billing business. That's according to a report Friday (July 17) by Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
Investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Computer and Technology peers, we might be able to answer that question.
ACI Worldwide is a member of our Computer and Technology group, which includes 613 different companies and currently sits at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. ACI Worldwide is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACIW's full-year earnings has moved 5.9% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the most recent data, ACIW has returned 18% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Computer and Technology group have gained about 17% on average. This shows that ACI Worldwide is outperforming its peers so far this year.
Another Computer and Technology stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Amphenol (APH - Free Report) . The stock has returned 17.7% year-to-date.
The consensus estimate for Amphenol's current year EPS has increased 10.2% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, ACI Worldwide belongs to the Computer - Software industry, a group that includes 22 individual stocks and currently sits at #91 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has lost an average of 22.9% so far this year, so ACIW is performing better in this area.
Amphenol, however, belongs to the Electronics - Connectors industry. Currently, this 2-stock industry is ranked #223. The industry has moved +17.8% so far this year.
ACI Worldwide and Amphenol could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Computer and Technology stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
ACI Worldwide (ACIW) witnessed a jump in share price last session on above-average trading volume. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions for the stock doesn't suggest further strength down the road.
Trust remains the critical barrier to adoption of AI-driven shopping tools, as UK consumer survey reveals fears over control, money and accountability
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New research from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, reveals a significant trust gap between artificial intelligence and human decision-makers, highlighting a key barrier to the widespread adoption of AI shopping agents.
“The findings clearly show that consumers are open to AI helping them shop smarter, but only if they remain firmly in control of both the decision making and their money.” Adriana Iordan, head of merchant and payments intelligence, ACI Worldwide.
Share A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK adults, conducted on behalf of ACI Worldwide, found that just 19% of consumers trust AI assistants to follow rules to set up make every day purchasing decisions, compared with 55% who trust a human expert or adviser. Seven in ten (69%) do not trust AI, even when it follows rules they set, while six in ten (60%) say they would stop using an AI agent after just one mistake.
AI shopping agents are tools that can search, compare and, with a consumer’s permission, complete purchases on their behalf. The findings come as merchants, payment providers and technology platforms increasingly move these tools beyond product discovery and closer to checkout and payment.
“The findings clearly show that consumers are open to AI helping them shop smarter, but only if they remain firmly in control of both the decision‑making and their money,” said Adriana Iordan, head of merchant and payments intelligence at ACI Worldwide. “They’re telling us very clearly that they won’t hand control of their finances to an autonomous agent without safeguards. This isn’t a capability gap; it’s a trust and confidence gap. If the industry wants adoption, it must prioritise control over capability: explicit approvals, hard spending limits, protected payment details and clear accountability when things go wrong.”
Key Findings:
AI is acceptable as a tool, but not a decision‑maker. While consumers show some openness to AI as a support tool, trust collapses when AI is given greater autonomy. This sharp drop-off highlights a clear boundary; consumers are comfortable with AI assisting decisions, but deeply uncomfortable with AI making them. 50% of respondents trust AI to find the best price available, with 43% trusting it to follow spending limits Only 18% trust AI to act in their best financial interest; just 17% trust it to keep personal and payment data secure and only 15% trust AI to handle problems when something goes wrong Financial incentives fail to overcome fear. The research also shows that savings alone are not enough to win consumers over. Resistance is driven less by value and more by perceived risk and loss of control. 44% say they would not trust an AI shopping agent regardless of savings, and one in four say it would need to save them more than 15% before they would trust it Autonomy triggers strongest resistance. Concerns intensify when AI agents act independently or access sensitive financial data; these fears point to a fundamental discomfort with unsupervised, agent‑led commerce. Seven in ten (70%) say purchases made without asking would affect their willingness to use an AI shopping agent; 61% say linking it to a bank account, and 54% say tracking everything they browse online would impact their willingness to use an AI agent When things go wrong, consumers don’t hesitate to assign blame. The majority of UK respondents believe responsibility falls squarely on AI providers, a challenge many emerging commerce models have yet to address. 54% say the technology or AI company that built the AI agent should be accountable for refunds Just 9% blame the retailer; only 3% blame banks or card issuers No organisation inherits trust by default. Perhaps most strikingly, 59% of consumers say they would not trust any organisation to manage AI‑powered shopping and payments. Even banks and other regulated financial payments providers are chosen by just 20%, while technology companies and retailers trail far behind at 4% each. Note to editors: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size: 2,080 UK adults (18+). Fieldwork conducted between 19–22 June 2026. The survey was carried out online and weighted to be representative of the UK adult population.
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With nearly 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
Copyright ACI Worldwide, Inc. 2026
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries or both. Other parties’ trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
Investors in ACI Worldwide, Inc. (ACIW - Free Report) need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the July 17, 2026 $30.00 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.
What is Implied Volatility?Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.
What do the Analysts Think?Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for ACI Worldwide shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, ACI Worldwide is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) in the Computer - Software industry that ranks in the Top 42% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, no analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while one analyst has revised the estimate downward. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 50 cents per share to 49 cents in that period.
Given the way analysts feel about ACI Worldwide right now, this huge implied volatility could mean there’s a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.
FIFA World Cup: Fraud Attempts Surged More Than Threefold at Past World Cups, ACI Worldwide Finds As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, new analysis from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, shows that the fraud patterns seen around previous major tournaments are already in play, exposing fans and ticket sellers to heightened risks.
Based on 24.5 million transactions across 61 live-event merchants serving global fan audiences, ACI’s data reveals the same warning signs that preceded fraud surges during Copa America 2024 and the 2022 World Cup have re-emerged, with fraud pressure expected to remain high through the opening stages of the tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
ACI monitors billions of transactions globally across issuers, acquirers and merchants and can identify coordinated fraud activity early, distinguishing genuine fan demand from criminal behavior and identifying warning signals before they become visible to individual merchants or banks.
What the data shows during major tournaments
Fraud builds before and continues after kick-off: In the build-up to Copa America 2024, card-not-present attempted fraud reached 4% of transaction value, averaging 3.6 times the 2023 baseline. The fraud window opened weeks before the first match and extended well beyond the final whistle. Alternative payment methods (APMs) are significantly safer: APMs recorded a 0.57% attempted fraud rate, compared with 3.97% for traditional cards, a sevenfold difference. APM adoption has climbed from 7% of transactions in 2022 to 24.8% year-to-date in 2026. Fraudsters target high-value purchases: During the pre-tournament build, fraudulent orders averaged $405, 1.5 times the $270 legitimate average, and average transaction value rose 1.2%, suggesting average fraudulent transaction values could again approach $400 during the 2026 World Cup. The pattern raises the risk of false declines for genuine fans buying higher-value tickets. Domestic cards carry higher risk: During the pre-tournament build, domestic cards recorded a 3.2% attempted fraud rate, compared with 1.4% for cross-border cards, reflecting fraudsters’ preference for locally issued credentials. International card traffic is an early warning sign: Cross-border card share rose from an average of 7.53% of total spending to 11.47% in the run-up to the Copa America 2024. In May 2026 it already stood at 10.83%, above the annual average of 7.16%. Fraud is on the rise, and fans are directly in the firing line
Cybersecurity firms and law enforcement have warned that fraudsters are using automation and artificial intelligence to scale World Cup-related scams. Silent Push, a U.S.-based threat intelligence firm that tracks online fraud networks, has identified more than 300 pixel-perfect replica ticketing websites. Check Point Research, the research arm of cybersecurity company Check Point Software, recorded 9,741 fraudulent World Cup-related domains registered in April 2026 alone, nearly four times the peak seen around the 2022 tournament. Separately, cybersecurity company Fortinet counted more than 13,000 tournament-themed domains registered between January and May 2026.
In a public service announcement issued May 27, 2026, the FBI warned fans to navigate directly to fifa.com rather than clicking on search results or sponsored ads. The agency said reported losses range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per incident, driven by fake ticketing, hospitality and VIP offers. In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre issued a warning in March 2026 about fraudulent ticket portals and merchandise scams targeting matches hosted in the country.
In Mexico, one of the three host nations, the federal consumer protection agency Profeco has launched an anti-fraud campaign and taken legal action against resale platforms. Meanwhile, civic organization Consejo Ciudadano para la Seguridad y Justicia estimates ticket scam losses of roughly 1,000 to 100,000 pesos (about $55 to $5,500) per victim. A 2025 Mastercard study found that nearly 80% of Mexican consumers experienced scam attempts in the prior year.
“The clearest warning sign isn’t match day itself. It’s the days and weeks before kick-off, when attempted fraud rises, cross-border card activity increases and fans start hunting for tickets, often under pressure,” said Jackie Barwell, director of fraud product management at ACI Worldwide. “Because we see these patterns across our global network, we can tell the difference between genuine fan demand, risky behavior driven by urgency, and outright fraud, helping merchants approve legitimate purchases while reducing the impact of scams as the tournament unfolds.”
What fans can do to stay safe
Stick to official sources: Buy tickets only from official sellers or authorized resale platforms. If it’s not listed on a trusted site, think twice. Go direct: Type known web addresses into your browser yourself, avoid clicking on ads, sponsored links or social media posts. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: Be cautious of prices below face value or claims of “guaranteed” access to sold-out matches. Choose safer ways to pay: Use payment methods that offer dispute or chargeback protection, especially for high-value purchases. Be wary of unsolicited offers: Treat unexpected emails, messages or calls offering tickets, hospitality or VIP packages with caution, especially if they pressure you to act fast. About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With nearly 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
Copyright ACI Worldwide, Inc. 2026
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries or both. Other parties’ trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260617940322/en/
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, new analysis from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, shows that the fraud patterns seen around previous major tournaments are already in play, exposing fans and ticket sellers to heightened risks. Based on 24.5 million transactions across 61 live-event merchants serving global fan audiences, ACI's data reveals the same warning signs that preceded fraud surges during Copa Ameri.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced that Rabobank, a leading Dutch bank and one of Europe's largest financial institutions, is advancing the migration of the Netherlands' most widely used payment method, iDEAL, to Wero. Wero is the European Payments Initiative (EPI)-backed digital payment solution enabling real-time account-to-account payments across participating European banks. Rabobank's Wero payment.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced that Rabobank, a leading Dutch bank and one of Europe’s largest financial institutions, is advancing the migration of the Netherlands’ most widely used payment method, iDEAL, to Wero. Wero is the European Payments Initiative (EPI)-backed digital payment solution enabling real-time account-to-account payments across participating European banks.
Rabobank’s Wero payments are processed and powered by ACI’s Real-Time Payments Processing technology, delivering the scale, resilience and interoperability required for pan-European instant payments. The ACI platform provides the high availability needed for this transformational project. By orchestrating payment flows, liquidity management and real-time clearing across SEPA Instant rails, ACI is helping Rabobank seamlessly transition iDEAL into a true real-time environment while ensuring consistent performance, security and regulatory compliance as volumes accelerate.
iDEAL is the backbone of Dutch digital commerce, used for more than 70% of online transactions and billions of payments each year. While it provides consumers and merchants with instant confirmation at checkout, the underlying payments have traditionally been processed on standard SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) rails. Rabobank is now changing that, moving iDEAL volumes onto SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) infrastructure powered by ACI, enabling true real-time, 24/7 clearing and settlement.
As one of the founding banks behind iDEAL, Rabobank plays a central role in scaling this transition, effectively moving a large share of everyday payments in the Netherlands onto instant payment rails. The migration is expected to complete by the end of 2027. Rabobank, alongside other EPI shareholders, committed to the transition as part of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), which aims to unify fragmented national payment schemes into a single European solution and reduce reliance on global card networks.
This shift marks a critical step in one of Europe’s largest payment transformations, turning a national payment system into a pan-European, real-time digital solution. Through Wero, consumers and businesses will be able to make instant account-to-account payments not only online, but also in-store and between individuals, across borders.
In parallel, Rabobank is extending instant payments capabilities beyond checkout by routing Request to Pay messaging through Wero. This enables a broader set of instant payment use cases, from bill payments to subscriptions and merchant-initiated transactions, where speed, certainty, and immediate fund availability are critical.
“Wero represents the next evolution of how people pay in Europe, bringing together the trust and ubiquity of iDEAL with instant, pan-European capabilities,” said Patrick Kipping, area lead, payments transaction processing, Rabobank. “Migrating iDEAL at this scale is a significant operational step, and an important milestone in delivering instant, seamless payments for our customers.”
The transition comes as Europe enters a new phase of real-time payments adoption. With the Instant Payment Regulation (IPR) now in force, banks are turning their focus to scaling performance, resilience and instant payments processing at national volumes.
“Rabobank is moving one of Europe’s most successful national payment systems into a true instant payments environment, at scale,” said Craig Ramsey, global head of account-to-account Payments, ACI Worldwide. “This is exactly what the shift to instant payments is about: not just faster payments but transforming how entire economies move money. ACI’s platform is designed to manage that level of volume, resilience, and complexity.”
The Netherlands is the first major market to transition their successful, local iDEAL payments solution to Wero, positioning it at the forefront of Europe’s shift toward instant, account-to-account payments. The speed and stability of this migration will help set the benchmark for Wero’s broader rollout across Europe through 2027.
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With nearly 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay, and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries, or both. Other parties’ trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260615009553/en/
Strategic collaboration enables merchants and financial intermediaries across Europe to offer Wero as a new payment method to consumers and businesses.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, has joined the European Payments Initiative (EPI) as a principal member and will integrate EPI’s Wero wallet solution onto ACI’s best-in-class Payments Orchestration Platform. Through this strategic collaboration, merchants and financial intermediaries across Europe will be able to offer Wero as a new payment method to consumers and businesses.
Wero is a pan-European digital wallet solution that runs on SEPA instant payment rails. It aims to unify and streamline payments across Europe, offering peer-to-peer transfers, e-commerce and point-of-sale purchases, alongside other added-value services. Launched in 2024 by EPI, founded by a consortium of 16 European banks and financial services companies, Wero currently offers instant account-to-account payments to consumers in Belgium, France and Germany.
EPI plans to expand the service across Europe to include Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the coming months and continues to explore opportunities in other countries. Since the fall of 2025, consumers in Germany and now Belgium are able to pay online with their Wero digital wallet, with additional services, including subscriptions, planned to launch in the coming years. French consumers will be benefiting from similar services in fall this year, while in-store payment options are foreseen to be launched in 2027.
Wero is expected to drive the consumer adoption of instant payments and an increase in instant payments volumes across Europe. The EU Instant Payments Regulation (IPR) came into effect in January 2025, requiring all banks and payment service providers (PSPs) in the Eurozone to be able to receive and send instant payments to customers. In addition to the integration of Wero onto ACI’s Payments Orchestration Platform, ACI powers instant payments rails across Europe, offering banks and PSPs direct instant payment connectivity and payments orchestration.
According to ACI’s most recent Prime Time for Real-Time report, instant payment transactions in Europe are expected to increase from 17.2 billion in 2023 to 38.6 billion in 2028 and are forecast to account for 13% of all electronic payments in Europe by 2028, up from 8% in 2023.
“We are excited to announce our strategic partnership with EPI to make Wero a success across Europe,” commented Nick Craig, head of Europe, ACI Worldwide. “This collaboration leverages ACI's advanced instant payment processing capabilities to address the fragmentation of payment methods in Europe, providing a unified solution which enables a seamless, secure and efficient payment experience for consumers and merchants. Wero will be an important addition to ACI’s best-in-class Payments Orchestration Platform, which has the industry’s widest reach of acquirers and APMs.”
“Seeing ACI joining EPI members’ ranks is a new step towards massive availability of Wero across our core markets and beyond. Through the integration onto ACI’s platform, all their merchants and their customers will be able to integrate Wero as a new payment solution, empowering their business and Europe’s resilience at large. Together, we are helping accelerate the development of a more connected, innovative and resilient European payments ecosystem,” said Martina Weimert, CEO of EPI.
ACI currently powers 26 domestic and pan-regional instant payment schemes across six continents, including 11 central infrastructures, providing solutions to central banks, participant banks, fintechs and other PSPs. Globally, ACI covers approximately one-third of the countries that offer instant payment services, reaching about 3 billion people served by various organizations, including central governments, payment networks, banks, financial institutions and fintech companies.
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With nearly 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
About EPI
EPI (or European Payments Initiative) is supported by 16 European banks and payment service providers. Beyond the shareholders, over 50 institutions in Europe are now members of EPI. They have joined forces with a common goal: to offer a unified mobile payment service, to all European companies and citizens, Wero. EPI intends to enable European consumers and merchants to carry out all types of retail transactions simply, via a resolutely sovereign digital wallet.
Find out more at epicompany.eu and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Wero
Based on instant account-to-account (A2A) payments, Wero further streamlines payments in Europe by eliminating intermediaries in the payment chain and the associated additional costs. Wero already supports payments between individuals and will shortly unveil payments to professionals (P2Pro). Wero has been live for P2P payments in Belgium, France, and Germany since 2024, currently serving 55 million users. For retail payments, Wero has been live in Germany since the end of 2025 with progressive roll-out in France and Belgium throughout 2026. Major migrations of at least 15 million consumers are also planned for Payconiq in Luxembourg (by 2026) and iDEAL in the Netherlands (by 2027).
Find out more at wero-wallet.eu and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay, and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the United States, other countries, or both. Other parties’ trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, announced today that it will report its financial results for the first quarter 2026 on May 7, 2026. Management will host a conference call at 8:30 AM ET to discuss the results. Participants may access the call as follows: Webcast: http://investor.aciworldwide.com/ Pre-registration (recommended): https://events.q4inc.com/analyst/134451343?pwd=FRT1UsXC Dial-in: +1 833 461 5787 Confere.
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At the center of everything we do is a strong commitment to independent research and sharing its profitable discoveries with investors. This dedication to giving investors a trading advantage led to the creation of our proven Zacks Rank stock-rating system. Since 1988 it has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.00% per year. These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through May 4, 2026. Zacks Rank stock-rating system returns are computed monthly based on the beginning of the month and end of the month Zacks Rank stock prices plus any dividends received during that particular month. A simple, equally-weighted average return of all Zacks Rank stocks is calculated to determine the monthly return. The monthly returns are then compounded to arrive at the annual return. Only Zacks Rank stocks included in Zacks hypothetical portfolios at the beginning of each month are included in the return calculations. Zacks Ranks stocks can, and often do, change throughout the month. Certain Zacks Rank stocks for which no month-end price was available, pricing information was not collected, or for certain other reasons have been excluded from these return calculations. Zacks may license the Zacks Mutual Fund rating provided herein to third parties, including but not limited to the issuer.
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OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced ACI Connetic for eight major U.S. networks on a single, cloud-native platform. ACI Connetic enables connectivity to Fedwire, CHIPS, Swift, The Clearing House RTP, Zelle and FedNow, with Nacha ACH (FedACH and EPN) connectivity expected for customers next year. It also supports stablecoin and tokenized-deposit capabilities, providing a unified approach across traditiona.
On April 23, 2026, ACI Worldwide Inc (ACIW) shares fell 4.6% today, closing at $42.21. The stock has experienced a 52-week range between $38.05 and $55.45, refl
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As real-time payments adoption accelerates worldwide and fraud risks intensify, ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) and Kinexys by J.P. Morgan today announced the integration of Kinexys Liink's Confirm application into ACI Worldwide's Fraud and Financial Crime solution. The integration embeds account and payee verification directly into payment workflows, enabling banks to help reduce fraud, protect customers, and aims to support safer, faster payments at scale. Through t.
ACI Worldwide and JPMorgan Chase have launched a partnership to combat payment fraud.
The collaboration, announced Friday (April 24), will see JPMorgan integrate its Kinexys Liink’s Confirm application into ACI Worldwide’s Fraud and Financial Crime solution.
According to an ACI news release, the integration embeds account and payee verification right into payment workflows, allowing banks to help prevent fraud, protect customers, and support safer, faster payments at scale.
With this collaboration, financial institutions (FIs) get a “robust account validation capability, supporting a broad range of payment types and geographies,” the release added.
“By unifying account and payee verification within an enterprise fraud platform, banks can apply consistent controls across payment rails, simplify compliance with evolving requirements, and strengthen protection as payment volumes continue to grow.”
Unlike traditional payments, transactions sent via instant rails are irreversible, the release continued. Once funds have been transmitted, they can’t be recalled, leaving institutions with no recovery window and making post‑transaction monitoring insufficient by itself.
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As fraud volumes keep climbing, there is a rising call across the industry for more robust account/payee verification for certain payments. The focus is increasingly on authenticating payment details upfront, so institutions can identify fraud before funds leave the account.
“At the same time, heightened consumer awareness, higher reimbursement pressures, and increased operational risk are leading banks to embed stronger verification controls directly into the payment flow as a standard feature of modern payments infrastructure,” the release added.
Despite fraud concerns around instant payments, legacy payment methods such as checks remain a leading source of fraud risk, as PYMNTS wrote earlier this year.
Checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen or altered compared to electronic transfers, according to U.S. government data, while more than 50% of the businesses that suffered fraud last year still use checks.
“Despite this, many organizations continue to view checks as safer than instant payment methods because of their physical nature, even as evidence suggests greater fraud exposure,” that report added.
By contrast, real-time payment rails are showing stronger security performance. Many institutions using instant payments say they’ve seen limited or no operational fraud impact, supported by ongoing monitoring, transaction-level visibility and quicker detection. As experience grows, perceptions are changing, with 37% of businesses pointing to security as a top benefit of embracing instant payments. This figure is up from 25% one year earlier.
“Still, confidence depends on readiness. FIs increasingly view fraud-prevention tools as essential to scaling instant payments,” PYMNTS added. “This view underscores the need to invest in monitoring, governance and exception handling as volumes grow.”
See More In: ACI Worldwide, B2B, B2B Payments, instant payments, JPMorgan Chase, Kinexys, News, PYMNTS News, real time payments, What's Hot, What's Hot In B2B
NetSol Technologies (NASDAQ:NTWK – Get Free Report) and ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW – Get Free Report) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and dividends.
Profitability This table compares NetSol Technologies and ACI Worldwide’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets NetSol Technologies 2.74% 4.68% 3.11% ACI Worldwide 12.88% 16.44% 7.66% Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for NetSol Technologies and ACI Worldwide, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score NetSol Technologies 0 1 0 0 2.00 ACI Worldwide 1 1 3 0 2.40 ACI Worldwide has a consensus price target of $60.00, indicating a potential upside of 38.92%. Given ACI Worldwide’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ACI Worldwide is more favorable than NetSol Technologies.
Valuation & Earnings This table compares NetSol Technologies and ACI Worldwide”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio NetSol Technologies $66.09 million 0.63 $2.92 million $0.16 22.13 ACI Worldwide $1.76 billion 2.49 $226.66 million $2.17 19.90 ACI Worldwide has higher revenue and earnings than NetSol Technologies. ACI Worldwide is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than NetSol Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership 16.0% of NetSol Technologies shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.7% of ACI Worldwide shares are owned by institutional investors. 13.2% of NetSol Technologies shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of ACI Worldwide shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk and Volatility NetSol Technologies has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ACI Worldwide has a beta of 1.03, meaning that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary ACI Worldwide beats NetSol Technologies on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About NetSol Technologies (Get Free Report)
NetSol Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, markets, and exports enterprise software solutions to the automobile financing and leasing, banking, and financial services industries worldwide. The company offers NFS Ascent, a suite of financial applications for businesses in the finance and leasing industry. Its NFS Ascent constituent applications include Omni Point of Sale, a web-based application; Contract Management System (CMS), an application for managing and maintaining credit contracts; Wholesale Finance System (WFS), a system for automating and managing the lifecycle of wholesale finance; Dealer Auditor Access System, a web-based solution that could be used in conjunction with WFS or any third-party wholesale finance system; NFS Ascent deployed on The Cloud, a cloud-version of NFS Ascent; and NFS Digital, that includes Self Point of Sale, Mobile Account, Mobile Point of Sale, Mobile Dealer, Mobile Auditor, Mobile Collector, and Mobile Field Investigator. The company also provides Otoz Digital Auto-Retail and mobility orchestration, a white-label SaaS platform; Otoz Ecosystem, an API-based architecture; and Otoz Platform, a white label platform, which includes Dealer/Admin Tool and Customer Portals. In addition, it offers system integration, consulting, and information technology products and services. It serves blue chip organizations, Dow-Jones 30 Industrials, Fortune 500 manufacturers and financial institutions, and vehicle manufacturers. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Encino, California.
About ACI Worldwide (Get Free Report)
ACI Worldwide, Inc., a software company, develops, markets, installs, and supports a range of software products and solutions for facilitating digital payments in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Banks, Merchants, and Billers. The company offers ACI Acquiring, a solution to process credit, debit, and prepaid card transactions, deliver digital innovation, and fraud prevention; ACI Issuing, a digital payment issuing solution for new payment offering; and ACI Enterprise Payments Platform that provides payment processing and orchestration capabilities for digital payments. It also provides ACI Low Value Real-Time Payments, a platform for processing real-time payments; and ACI High Value Real-Time Payments, a payments engine that offers multi-bank, multi-currency, 24×7 payment processing, and SWIFT messaging. In addition, the company offers ACI Payments Orchestration Platform for optimizing payments; omni-channel payment platform; ACI Fraud Management, a real-time approach to fraud management; and ACI Speedpay, an integrated suite of digital billing, payment, disbursement, and communication services. The company offers electronic bill presentment and payment services to consumer finance, insurance, healthcare, higher education, utility, government, telecommunications, and mortgage sectors; implementation services, include product installations and configurations, and custom software modifications; and business and technical consultancy, on-site support, product education, and testing services, as well as distributes or acts as a sales agent for software developed by third parties. It markets its products under the ACI Worldwide brand. The company was formerly known as Transaction Systems Architects, Inc. and changed its name to ACI Worldwide, Inc. in July 2007. The company was founded in 1975 and is based in Elkhorn, Nebraska.
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At the center of everything we do is a strong commitment to independent research and sharing its profitable discoveries with investors. This dedication to giving investors a trading advantage led to the creation of our proven Zacks Rank stock-rating system. Since 1988 it has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.00% per year. These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through May 4, 2026. Zacks Rank stock-rating system returns are computed monthly based on the beginning of the month and end of the month Zacks Rank stock prices plus any dividends received during that particular month. A simple, equally-weighted average return of all Zacks Rank stocks is calculated to determine the monthly return. The monthly returns are then compounded to arrive at the annual return. Only Zacks Rank stocks included in Zacks hypothetical portfolios at the beginning of each month are included in the return calculations. Zacks Ranks stocks can, and often do, change throughout the month. Certain Zacks Rank stocks for which no month-end price was available, pricing information was not collected, or for certain other reasons have been excluded from these return calculations. Zacks may license the Zacks Mutual Fund rating provided herein to third parties, including but not limited to the issuer.
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Here are three stocks added to the Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) List today:
Amerant Bancorp (AMTB - Free Report) is a bank holding company, which provides deposit, credit and wealth management services to individuals and businesses primarily in the U.S., as well as select international clients. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 13.7% downward over the last 60 days.
The Blackstone Group (BX - Free Report) is a leading asset manager of alternative investments and a global provider of financial advisory services. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised 7.2% downward over the last 60 days.
ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) is a Universal Payments (UP) company, which powers electronic payments for more than 5,000 organizations around the world. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings has been revised nearly 6.5% downward over the last 60 days.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Peru, Chile and Argentina are entering a decisive stage of their real‑time payments modernization journeys, with adoption expected to drive economic growth and financial inclusion across the region, according to the Real-Time Payments: Economic Impact and Financial Inclusion report. The study was commissioned by ACI Worldwide, and conducted by the Cebr (Centre for Economics and Business Research), a leading economic think tank.* By 2028, real-time payments are fore.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading provider of global payments technology, today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. “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%.
ACI Worldwide (ACIW - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.61 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.45 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.51 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +35.56%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of software for electronic payments would post earnings of $1.05 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.9, delivering a surprise of -14.29%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.
ACI Worldwide, which belongs to the Zacks Computer - Software industry, posted revenues of $425.75 million for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.79%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $394.57 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
ACI Worldwide shares have lost about 9.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 7.6%.
What's Next for ACI Worldwide?While ACI Worldwide has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for ACI Worldwide was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.50 on $429.7 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.19 on $1.89 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Computer - Software is currently in the bottom 34% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Descartes Systems (DSGX - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended April 2026. The results are expected to be released on June 3.
This logistics provider is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.53 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +29.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.
Descartes Systems' revenues are expected to be $191.7 million, up 13.6% from the year-ago quarter.
OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, today announced that company management will participate in the following investor conferences: J.P. Morgan 2026 Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference, May 18 in Boston (President and CEO Thomas Warsop, CFO Bobby Leibrock, and SVP John Kraft) Baird 2026 Global Consumer, Technology & Services Conference, June 4 in New York City (CFO Bobby Leibrock and SVP John Kra.
OMAHA, Neb. & SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology, and Security Bank Corporation (Security Bank), a leading universal bank in the Philippines, today announced that they won the "Best Payment Technology Initiative in Asia Pacific" at The Asian Banker (TAB) Global Financial Technology Innovation Awards 2026. This award recognizes Security Bank and ACI Worldwide's transformation of payment infrastructure by consolidating fra.
Aristotle Capital Boston cut its stake in ACI Worldwide (ACIW +0.61%) by 105,810 shares in the first quarter, an estimated $4.44 million trade based on quarterly average pricing, according to a May 15, 2026, SEC filing.
What happenedAristotle Capital Boston disclosed in a May 15, 2026, SEC filing that it sold 105,810 shares of ACI Worldwide during the first quarter. The estimated value of this reduction, based on the average closing price for the period, was approximately $4.44 million. The stake’s quarter-end market value decreased by $9.56 million, a figure that includes both share sales and changes in the stock price.
What else to knowThe fund reduced its position in ACI Worldwide, which now represents 1.68% of its reported 13F assets under management.Top holdings after the filing:NASDAQ:AEIS: $48.88 million (3.04% of AUM)NASDAQ:MTSI: $45.84 million (2.85% of AUM)NYSE:HASI: $37.71 million (2.34% of AUM)NYSE:AER: $34.54 million (2.14% of AUM)NYSE:AGI: $33.85 million (2.10% of AUM)As of May 14, 2026, ACI Worldwide shares were priced at $40.87, down 15% over the past year and underperforming the S&P 500, which is instead up about 25%.Company OverviewMetricValuePrice (as of market close 2026-05-14)$40.87Market Capitalization$4.15 billionRevenue (TTM)$1.79 billionNet Income (TTM)$226.7 millionCompany SnapshotACI Worldwide offers digital payments software and platforms, including merchant management, payment processing, real-time payments engines, fraud management, and digital banking solutions.The firm generates revenue through software licensing, transaction processing fees, and value-added services for digital payments and electronic bill presentment.It serves banks, merchants, billers, and organizations in sectors such as consumer finance, insurance, healthcare, utilities, and government worldwide.ACI Worldwide, Inc. is a global provider of software solutions focused on digital payments and real-time transaction processing. The company leverages a broad product suite and cloud-based platforms to address the evolving needs of financial institutions and merchants. Its scale and deep expertise in payment infrastructure position it as a key enabler of secure, efficient, and innovative payment experiences across diverse industries.
What this transaction means for investorsEven with solid operating momentum, ACI shares have struggled to keep pace with the broader market, and some investors may simply be reallocating toward faster-moving areas of fintech and AI infrastructure, which seems like it could be the case here.
What makes the timing interesting is that ACI’s underlying business actually improved last quarter. First-quarter revenue rose 8% to $426 million, while adjusted EBITDA climbed 12% to $105 million. The company also raised full-year guidance after reporting strong growth in real-time payments and merchant solutions, both of which expanded more than 20%.
Meanwhile, management said annual recurring revenue bookings increased 39%, while recurring revenue climbed to nearly $313 million. ACI also repurchased $65 million worth of stock during the quarter and still has roughly $391 million remaining under its authorization.
Still, it remains unclear whether or how soon ACI can translate steady payments infrastructure demand into sustained earnings acceleration. The business appears healthier than the stock chart suggests, but investors likely still want proof that growth can consistently outpace legacy payments peers.
Jonathan Ponciano has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AerCap. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $60 calls on AerCap. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
