Aristocrat revenue falls 3%, earnings growth continues

Aristocrat Leisure reported that revenue for the 12 months ended 30 September (FY26) fell 3% year on year to A$6.09 billion. The company said that at constant currency, the figure rose 4%. EBIT edged up to $2.07 billion, while normalised NPATA rose 2% to $1.45 billion. The company's initial outlook points to growth in NPATA at constant currency in the new fiscal year.

The departure of CEO Trevor Croker was approved on the day the results were announced. Croker said new content launches were helping the company win market share in its main segments and channels. He said second-half launches in the Gaming and Interactive businesses were carrying momentum into FY27.

Gaming revenue rose 2% to $4.02 billion. Growth in North American gaming operations was the main driver, with installed machines increasing by about 6,500 to nearly 82,000. Product Madness revenue fell 13.2% to $1.56 billion, mainly due to the sale of some assets in the Big Fish social casual games business. Interactive revenue fell 5% to $509.6 million. The decision at the start of the year to exit the white label market weighed on the Platforms segment. On the other hand, iLottery gained strong momentum with the launches in Massachusetts and Michigan.

Gross profit fell 2% to $3.75 billion along with the decline in revenue. However, lower operating expenses lifted pre-tax profit 16% to $2.1 billion. Post-tax profit from continuing operations rose 15% to $1.36 billion. Profit from discontinued operations was $7 million this year, compared with $456.2 million last year. Including these items, total post-tax profit was $1.37 billion, down 16%.