CGI Group Inc. says fourth-quarter earnings grew 1.7 per cent on the back of stronger revenue, falling in line with analyst expectations.
The Montreal-based information technology company reported profit of $84.1-million for the three months ended Sept. 30, equivalent to 30 cents per share.
The results met analyst estimates of 30 cents a share, according to a survey of analyst by Thomson Reuters.
CGI's earnings marked an increase from $82.6-million or an equivalent of 27 cents per share in the same period last year.
Revenue moved ahead 8.7 per cent to $1.01-billion in the quarter, which included six weeks of results from the $1-billion (U.S.) acquisition of Stanley Inc., which specializes in U.S. government contracts.
CGI said it booked $16.7-million (Canadian) of expenses tied to the acquisition of Stanley.
New contract signings amounted to $1.1-billion in the quarter, mostly from the government, health care and financial sectors.
For the full year, CGI said that currency fluctuations negatively impacted revenue by 5.8 per cent, pulling it down to $3.73-billion.
Earnings for the year were $362.8-million, up from $315.9-million.
Founded in 1976, CGI has grown to become Canada's largest IT services firm. The company and its affiliated companies employ 31,000 people in more than 125 offices around the world.
It has more than $4.5-billion in annual revenues and a backlog exceeding $13.6-billion.
CGI recently said it hopes to expand its presence in India by 45 per cent as it hires more than 1,500 people in the next year to target growing demand from the global telecom and financial services sectors.