ACI Lifts 2026 Adjusted EBITDA Outlook as Quarterly Revenue Falls 12%

ACI Worldwide raised its 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook after third-quarter revenue fell 12% year over year on a reported basis, with license renewals expected to cluster in the final quarter.

The company now forecasts full-year adjusted EBITDA of $550 million-$565 million, up from $545 million-$560 million. It left its revenue outlook at $1.895 billion-$1.925 billion. For the fourth quarter, ACI projects revenue of $612 million-$642 million and adjusted EBITDA of $257 million-$272 million. Those ranges imply the quarter will account for about 32%-33% of annual revenue guidance and 47%-48% of adjusted EBITDA guidance.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $426.8 million, compared with $482.4 million a year earlier. The decline was 11% on a constant-currency basis. License revenue dropped to $94.8 million from $162 million, while recurring revenue rose 4% to $309 million.

ACI’s Payment Software segment generated $216 million in revenue, down 24% year over year. Its Biller segment brought in $210 million, up 6%. ACI linked the Payment Software decline to the expected concentration of license renewals in the fourth quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA fell 43% to $97.5 million, and net income declined to $32.5 million from $91.3 million. ACI Worldwide President and CEO Thomas Warsop expressed confidence in the full-year outlook, citing scheduled renewals and expected margin expansion. “With high visibility into scheduled renewals, we are confident in our full-year outlook of upper-single-digit revenue growth with margin expansion,” Warsop said.