UPDATE 2-Accenture posts higher Q4, sees further growth

(Adds details on outlook, CEO and analyst comments, dividend)

By Ritsuko Ando

NEW YORK, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Accenture Ltd (ACN.N) reported a quarterly profit that beat analysts' expectations and forecast further growth in the year ahead, as more clients seek its consulting and outsourcing services despite a weak economy and gloomy financial markets.

Analysts said Thursday's announcement, including record new bookings, raised hopes that Accenture could grow despite the recent turmoil in financial markets, including the bankruptcy filing of Lehman Brothers.

The company said net income for its fiscal fourth quarter ended Aug. 31 rose to $434.8 million, or 67 cents per share, from $316.8 million, or 50 cents a share, a year earlier. That beat the average analyst forecast by a penny, according to Reuters Estimates.

Net revenue, or revenue before reimbursements from clients for expenses such as consultants' travel, rose to $6.0 billion from $5.1 billion, and surpassing Wall Street's consensus forecast by around $19 million.

"They were good results in a very challenging market. Accenture continues to deliver high quality results time after time," said Andy Miedler, an analyst at Edward Jones, who has a "buy" rating on the shares and sees them undervalued.

The shares rose 2.2 percent in after-hours trade. They closed up 1.6 percent at $37.17 earlier on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares have fallen around 10 percent in the past month, dragged down by worries about the weak economy and financial sector.

Accenture Chief Executive William Green said that while financial institutions account for around 20 percent of its overall business, the recent crisis posed opportunities as well as challenges.

"We're working hard in this environment -- it's challenging and it's changing," he told Reuters.

"Many companies are being forced to reinvent themselves," and seeking Accenture's expertise in helping companies transform into more efficient organizations, he said.

Analysts have said Accenture would likely continue to benefit from companies seeking to outsource technology development and call center services to low-cost centers like India.

The company forecast earnings in the new fiscal year of $2.85 to $2.93 a share, compared with Wall Street's consensus forecast of $2.88. It also forecast net revenue growth of 9 percent to 12 percent from $23.39 billion in fiscal 2008.

For the first quarter, it forecast net revenue of $6.15 billion to $6.35 billion, above Wall Street's forecast of $6.13 billion.

It said new bookings for the fourth quarter were a record $7.67 billion, a sign its strong momentum would continue into the new fiscal year.

The company raised its annual dividend to 50 cents per share, up 8 cents from the previous year. (Editing by Richard Chang, Carol Bishopric and Bernard Orr)