Photo by JiriMatejicek via Wikimedia 

Accenture Plc ACN reported fourth-quarter earnings of $1.74 per share Thursday, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $1.71 by 1.75%.

This is a 10.13% increase over earnings of $1.58 per share from the same period last year.

The company reported quarterly sales of $11.056 billion, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $11.08 billion. 

Accenture sees fiscal year 2020 EPS at $7.62-$7.84 versus a $7.96 Street estimate, and operating cash flow $6.35 billion-$6.75 billion.

"For the year, our record new bookings of $45.5 billion and revenue growth of 8.5% in local currency demonstrate excellent demand for our services, and we gained significant market share," CEO Julie Sweet said in a statement. 

"We also delivered very strong profitability and returned a record $4.6 billion in cash to our shareholders, while continuing to invest across the business. As we look ahead to fiscal 2020, we will continue to be laser-focused on creating value for our clients, being a magnet for the best people in the industry and maximizing shareholder value." 

Accenture shares were trading down 1.5% at $188 in Thursday’s premarket session. The stock has a 52-week high of $202.80 and a 52-week low of $132.63.