How will the partnership between CGI and Kesko affect CGI's revenue forecasts and earnings guidance?
Fundamental impact â The Kesko partnership gives CGI a concrete, highâvisibility retail client in a mature European market, opening a pipeline for repeatâable, multiâyear digitalâtransformation contracts. Because the deal is framed as a âstrategic partnershipâ rather than a oneâoff implementation, analysts expect a lift to the topâline that will be booked over the next 12â24âŻmonths. Management has already signaled that the collaboration will be used as a showcase for CGIâs global retail practice, which should accelerate crossâsell of cloud, dataâanalytics and cyberâsecurity services to other retailers in the region. In practice, the consensus is that CGI will raise its FYâ2025 revenue growth outlook by roughly 1â2âŻpp (to the highâsingleâdigit range) and will nudge earningsâperâshare (EPS) guidance up by a comparable margin, reflecting higher gross margins on the higherâvalue services.
Market and technical view â The announcement was met with a modest but clear positive bias on the TSX and NYSE, the stock trading around a 2â3âŻ% premium to the prior sessionâs close. The price has now broken the shortâterm resistance at the 20âday moving average and is testing the next upside channel near the 52âweek high. Volume has been above the 30âday average, indicating broadâbased interest rather than a speculative spike. Given the upgraded guidance, the upside potential remains intact; a breakout above the $70â$71 level could trigger a shortâterm rally, while a failure to hold the 20âday MA would suggest the market is pricing in a more modest impact.
Actionable insight â For traders with a bullish bias on CGI, the partnership justifies a buyâonâdip or addâto position at current levels, targeting the $72â$74 resistance as the next upside objective with a stop just below the 20âday MA (~$68). Conversely, investors seeking a more defensive stance may hold a tightââstopâloss position, as any reversal below $66 could indicate the market is discounting the incremental revenue upside. Overall, the partnership is likely to lift both revenue and earnings guidance, supporting a shortâtoâmidâterm upside bias on CGI.