ACI Worldwide Inc. research snapshot
ACIW AI stock analysis reads ACI Worldwide as a quality payment software company whose shares have climbed about 31% over the past year to $57.33, supported by a Q1 2026 earnings beat, a raised full-year outlook, and a growing real-time payments franchise in Europe and Latin America. The company reported Q1 2026 revenue of $425.75 million, roughly 8% year-over-year growth that beat consensus, and lifted FY2026 revenue guidance to $1.89 billion to $1.92 billion. ACIW now trades at a trailing P/E near 28.9x but a forward P/E near 16.5x, with a consensus analyst Buy rating and an average price target of $66.67. The two near-term watch items are the August 6, 2026 Q2 earnings report and the company reported exploration of a possible sale of its billing division, which Reuters said could be valued around $1.5 billion. Investment certainty is medium because the stock sits only modestly below its 52-week high of $61.08 and the improved growth outlook is partly priced into the multiple.
Current price
$57.33
Market cap
$5.83 billion
AI score
71 / 100
Rating
Payment software compounder near highs with real-time payments momentum and a possible billing division sale
Trend status
Uptrend intact above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, pulling back from the July 2026 high of $61.08
Data cutoff (updated monthly)
August 4, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | ACI Worldwide provides mission-critical payment infrastructure that processes billions of transactions daily, with roughly 58% of revenue now in SaaS and platform subscription form, creating a resilient, recurring software business. | High |
| Moat | ACIW benefits from high switching costs through deep integration with bank and merchant systems, a 50 year operating history, and regulatory compliance across 94 countries. Competitors such as Fiserv, FIS, and Jack Henry offer overlapping capabilities. | Medium-high |
| Management | CEO Thomas Warsop III has led ACI since 2017, executing a shift to SaaS, real-time payments partnerships, disciplined buybacks, and a possible refocus through the reported exploration of a billing division sale. | Medium |
| Financial trend | FY2025 revenue grew 10.4% to $1.76 billion and net income rose to $226.66 million. Q1 2026 beat estimates and full-year guidance was raised, with TTM free cash flow near $295 million and an 18.4% TTM operating margin. | High |
| Valuation | ACIW trades at a trailing P/E near 28.9x, a forward P/E near 16.5x, EV/EBITDA near 14.9x, and price to sales near 3.3x. The forward multiple is reasonable for a growing software company, but the trailing multiple sits above historical averages. | Medium-high |
| Technical trend | ACIW is in an uptrend above the 50-day moving average near $49.75 and the 200-day moving average near $45.67, but pulled back about 6% from the July 2026 high of $61.08 to $57.33, so momentum is consolidating. | Medium |
| Risk level | Risk is moderate to high. Key risks are the possible sale of the billing division, competition from larger payment processors, technology changes, a higher valuation multiple, and 4.66% short interest. | Medium-high |
| AI confidence | The data set is solid with transparent SEC reporting and active sell-side coverage, so factual inputs carry high confidence, but that should not be confused with certainty about the billing sale outcome or payment industry competition. | High data confidence |
| Investment certainty | Investment certainty is medium. ACIW has strong fundamentals and a clear real-time payments story, but the stock near its 52-week high leaves limited margin of safety and the possible billing sale adds strategic uncertainty. | Medium |
ACIW AI stock forecast
The ACIW AI stock forecast is a valuation scenario exercise, not a price promise. Using the July 31, 2026 reference price near $57.33 and FY2026 consensus adjusted EPS near $3.52, the tested range spans roughly $38 to $46 in a bearish case, $55 to $68 in a base case, and $70 to $85 in a bullish case. The base case assumes ACIW holds the Q1 2026 revenue momentum, executes its real-time payments partnerships, and trades at a forward multiple in line with its 16x to 19x recent range.
$70 to $85
More likely if the August 6, 2026 Q2 report beats again, FY2026 guidance moves higher, the billing division sale closes at a strong valuation and sharpens the software focus, Wero and EPI ramp in Europe, and the stock holds a forward P/E above 19x.
$55 to $68
More likely if ACIW delivers steady 8 to 10% revenue growth, holds operating margins near current levels, expands real-time payments partnerships, and trades near the current forward P/E range, consistent with the $66.67 average analyst target.
$38 to $46
More likely if the billing division sale signals weaker biller growth, competition from Fiserv and FIS intensifies, real-time payment adoption slows, the Q2 report disappoints, or the market compresses payment software multiples in a risk-off environment.
ACIW AI technical analysis
ACIW AI technical analysis as of the July 31, 2026 data cutoff shows an uptrend that is consolidating after reaching $61.08 on July 29, 2026. The stock closed at $57.33, above the 50-day moving average near $49.75 and the 200-day moving average near $45.67, with a 14-day RSI near 59 that is bullish but not overbought. A rebound that holds above the $55 area would keep the trend intact, while a drop below the 50-day moving average near $49.75 would weaken the technical picture.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $57.33 | Close on July 31, 2026 with a $5.83 billion market cap, down 0.62% on the day after a 4.14% decline on July 30. |
| 52-week high | $61.08 | Intraday high on July 29, 2026. A daily close above this level would resume the uptrend. |
| Near support | $54.50 to $55.10 | The late July consolidation area from July 23 and July 24 closes provides the nearest downside reference. |
| Key support | $49.75 | The 50-day moving average. It held price support during the June rally and is the main bullish line to defend. |
| Deeper support | $45.67 to $46.00 | The 200-day moving average zone, which also marks the late June breakout area. |
| Near resistance | $58.00 to $60.00 | The gap between the current close and the recent high, where sellers emerged during the late July pullback. |
| Upper resistance | $61.08 to $66.00 | The July high at $61.08, then the analyst target zone from Craig-Hallum at $66 and the $66.67 consensus average. |
| 50-day SMA | $49.75 | ACIW trades about 15% above this line, consistent with a medium-term uptrend. |
| 200-day SMA | $45.67 | ACIW trades about 26% above this line, confirming the longer-term uptrend. |
| Momentum | Neutral to bullish | RSI near 59 after the pullback, indicating the uptrend is intact but short-term momentum has cooled from overbought levels. |
| Volume | Average near 1.0M shares | Volume spiked above 2 million shares on July 15 and July 17 around news flow. A high-volume rebound through $60 would confirm institutional buying. |
| Invalidation | Close below $49.75 | A decisive close below the 50-day moving average would signal that the medium-term uptrend is breaking down. |
ACIW AI trading strategy
The ACIW AI trading strategy below is a research framework, not personal advice. It combines the payment software growth thesis with rules for trend continuation, pullback buying, and the August 6, 2026 earnings catalyst. The stock is in an uptrend that recently pulled back from $61.08, so entries should be disciplined around defined support.
Look for ACIW to reclaim and hold above the $58 to $60 resistance zone with above-average volume, then target the $61.08 high and the $66 analyst zone. A close above $61.08 would be the strongest continuation signal.
Do not chase a failed rally that closes back below $58. If the stock stalls under $60, treat the setup as incomplete and wait for a cleaner break.
If ACIW pulls back toward the $54.50 to $55.10 support area or the 50-day moving average near $49.75, evaluate the dip against the Q1 beat, the raised FY2026 guidance, and the real-time payments news flow before considering an entry.
A close below $49.75 or negative news on the billing division sale or the August 6 earnings report would turn a support test into a potential trend reversal.
Track the August 6, 2026 Q2 report, FY2026 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, the status of the reported billing division sale, Wero and EPI milestones, dLocal expansion, and free cash flow trends.
Update the scenario model after each quarterly report. The billing division sale outcome and the Q2 print are the two highest-impact catalysts for the next few months.
Investment research summary
ACI Worldwide monetizes payment software and platform services that banks, merchants, and billers rely on to process trillions of dollars in transactions. Customers pay for reliable, secure, and increasingly real-time payment infrastructure, with about 58% of revenue now recurring SaaS and platform subscriptions.
The moat comes from deep integration with client systems that raises switching costs, a 50 year operating history, regulatory compliance across 94 countries, and an expanding real-time payments network. It is meaningful but not unassailable, because Fiserv, FIS, and Jack Henry can match much of the feature set.
The thesis fails if the possible billing division sale signals weak biller growth or distracts management, real-time payments adoption disappoints, competition forces margin compression, key clients build in-house capability, or the current 28.9x trailing multiple contracts as growth slows.
CEO Thomas Warsop III has led ACI since 2017 through SaaS migration, real-time payments partnerships including EPI and Wero, buybacks that cut the share count 2.5% over the past year, and the reported exploration of a billing division sale to focus the portfolio.
The payment industry is in a structural shift toward real-time payments, open banking, and AI-driven fraud management, visible in Wero and EPI in Europe, dLocal in Latin America, and Kwik Payments in Africa. ACIW is well positioned across these trends, but the industry is also consolidating.
ACIW trades at a trailing P/E near 28.9x and a forward P/E near 16.5x. The forward multiple is fair for a company guiding revenue up toward $1.9 billion, but the margin of safety is limited because the stock is near its 52-week high and the trailing multiple is above historical averages.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current price | $57.33 at close on July 31, 2026 | Google Finance ACIW quote; StockAnalysis | July 31, 2026 |
| Market cap | $5.83 billion | Google Finance ACIW quote; StockAnalysis | July 31, 2026 |
| Shares outstanding | 101.66 million | Google Finance ACIW quote; StockAnalysis | July 31, 2026 |
| 52-week range | $38.05 to $61.08 | Google Finance ACIW quote; StockAnalysis | July 31, 2026 |
| TTM revenue | $1.79 billion, up about 7% year over year | StockAnalysis financials; Yahoo Finance | July 31, 2026 |
| TTM net income | Approximately $206.1 million | StockAnalysis financials; Yahoo Finance | July 31, 2026 |
| FY2025 revenue | $1.76 billion, up 10.4% from FY2024 | StockAnalysis financials | July 31, 2026 |
| Trailing P/E | Approximately 28.9x | Google Finance ACIW quote; StockAnalysis | July 31, 2026 |
| Forward P/E | Approximately 16.5x | StockAnalysis statistics; Yahoo Finance | July 31, 2026 |
| EV/EBITDA | Approximately 14.9x | StockAnalysis statistics | July 31, 2026 |
| Free cash flow (TTM) | Approximately $295.1 million | StockAnalysis statistics | July 31, 2026 |
| Cash and total debt | $161.8 million cash, roughly $855 million debt | StockAnalysis statistics | July 31, 2026 |
| Analyst consensus | Buy; average price target $66.67, range $64 to $70 | StockAnalysis forecast; Yahoo Finance | July 31, 2026 |
| Next earnings | Q2 2026 on August 6, 2026 before market open | Google Finance ACIW quote; Yahoo Finance | July 31, 2026 |
This page is an informational research tool only and is not investment advice, a recommendation, or a promise of future performance. Forecast ranges are scenarios based on available public data as of July 31, 2026 and can be wrong if ACI Worldwide results, the possible billing division sale, competition, real-time payment adoption, partnership outcomes, or market sentiment change.
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