ACI Worldwide, Inc.

Total revenue was $426 million, up 8% year over year reported and 6% in constant currency. Adjusted EBITDA was $105 million, up 12% year over year reported and 8% in constant currency, and adjusted EBITDA margin was 38% versus 36% last year. Recurring revenue was $313 million, up 10% reported and 8% constant currency. Payment Software revenue was $214 million, up 2% constant currency, while Biller revenue was $212 million, up 10%. Net new ARR bookings were $12 million, up 39%. Cash from operations was $64 million vs. $78 million last year. For 2026, management raised revenue guidance to 7% to 9% growth, or $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion, and raised adjusted EBITDA guidance to $540 million to $555 million. For Q2, they guided to revenue of $420 million to $440 million and adjusted EBITDA of $85 million to $95 million.

Tom Warsop said the company is executing well and is increasingly optimistic about the outlook, citing strong competitive positioning and disciplined capital allocation. He emphasized that Kinetic and Speedpay One are key long-term growth platforms, and that Kinetic is already helping win and expand deals even when customers are not ready to migrate immediately. He also framed generative AI as an opportunity, not a threat, and said the business is resilient in a volatile macro and geopolitical backdrop because payments infrastructure remains mission-critical.

Bobby Leibrock highlighted the quarter’s financial performance: $426 million of revenue, $105 million of adjusted EBITDA, and a 38% margin, with recurring revenue up to $313 million. He said Payment Software EBITDA was $113 million with a 53% margin, while Biller EBITDA was $34 million with a 51% margin net of interchange. On cash and capital allocation, he noted $64 million of operating cash flow, $162 million of cash, $812 million of total debt, and net leverage of 1.3x adjusted EBITDA, below the 2x target. He said ACI repurchased 1.5 million shares for about $65 million in Q1, has $391 million remaining under authorization, and remains on track to return 50% to 60% of operating cash flow via buybacks in 2026. He also said the full-year guide was raised mainly on operational performance, with minimal FX impact versus the prior update.

Analysts focused heavily on the 39% growth in net new ARR bookings, whether Q1 had any revenue pull-forward, and how Kinetic is progressing in the pipeline. Management said the bookings strength was broad-based, with healthy demand across Biller and SaaS offerings, and that any Q1 pull-forward was minimal; they said most of the beat should flow through the rest of the year. On Kinetic, they said early wins are mostly SaaS and that revenue contribution this year is not material to guidance, but the platform is expanding the addressable market and helping both new-logo and expansion sales, including larger banks and international customers.