Aristocrat Leisure profit rises 2.1% to $1.45 billion in fiscal 2026
Key Facts
Aristocrat Leisure reported a 2.1% rise in annual net profit after tax to $1.45 billion in fiscal 2026, which ended on September 30, according to company results reported by Capital Brief. The increase in profit came as reported revenue fell 3.2% to $6.09 billion, leaving the two headline results moving in opposite directions. On a constant-currency basis, normalised revenue rose 3.8%, reflecting the different impact of exchange rates compared with the reported-currency revenue figure. Normalised net profit after tax before amortisation of acquired intangibles also rose 1.8% in reported currency and 9.7% in constant currency. EBITDA increased 0.1% to $2.24 billion, while the normalised EBITA margin widened to 36.7% from 35.5% in the previous year, an increase of 1.2 percentage points.
At Aristocrat Gaming, revenue was A$4,020.7 million, up 1.5% from the previous fiscal year, while profit rose to A$2,208.2 million, an increase of 2.2%. North American gaming operations added about 6,500 units to the installed base during the year, bringing the total close to 82,000 units at year-end. The company said the Interactive margin fell to 27%, attributing the decline to its strategic decision to exit the white-label business and investments related to acquisitions. It said the content mix and online lottery offset part of those factors' impact on the margin. The chief executive said second-half product launches across Gaming and Interactive provide clear momentum for fiscal 2027, as the company focuses on profitable growth and operational efficiency.
The board raised total dividends for fiscal 2026 to $1.01 a share, up 9% from 93 cents in fiscal 2025. The company set November 26, 2026, as the record date for the final dividend, which will be paid on December 8. The dividend comes alongside annual results that combined net profit growth with a decline in reported revenue, while constant-currency normalised measures showed stronger growth than their reported-currency counterparts. The wider normalised EBITA margin means the company improved on this measure compared with the previous fiscal year, despite the decline in reported revenue. Aristocrat Leisure's share-price movement in the November 12 session, or any causal link between the share movement and the results, was not verified, so this report does not attribute a specific reaction to the shares.
On leadership, the company announced that Trevor Croker, who was appointed chief executive 10 years ago, is expected to retire from the role in April 2027. It named Daphne Guisard as his expected successor, with her set to take the role in the same month. Guisard joined the company's executive team in early 2026 as chief commercial officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, after serving as chief operating officer at global gaming company Entain. She will move from Aristocrat's London office to Las Vegas to take up her new role. The company said Croker will support the leadership transition through November 2027, extending his involvement in the handover beyond his expected retirement date.
For the next fiscal year, Aristocrat expects NPATA to grow in the year ending September 30, 2027, on a constant-currency basis. The company tied the outlook to continued growth in gaming activities and the expansion of content and online lottery, and also cited the momentum from second-half launches. Aristocrat Interactive set a revenue target of US$1 billion for fiscal 2029, including the segment's share of revenue from the NPI joint venture. These targets follow a timeline separate from the leadership transition scheduled for April 2027, while Croker's support extends through November of that year. Key upcoming dates for shareholders are the November 26 record date for the final dividend and its payment on December 8, 2026.