What Sage Group does
The Sage Group plc, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, sells accounting, financial management, HR and payroll software to small and mid-sized businesses. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange as SGE and is a FTSE 100 member. Its main products are Sage Intacct, Sage 50, Sage 200, Sage Accounting, Sage Payroll and Sage People.
Origins in a Newcastle print shop
In 1981 David Goldman wanted software to estimate jobs at his Newcastle printing business. Working with Newcastle University student Graham Wylie and academic Paul Muller, he turned the program into a product for other small firms. Bundling accounting software with Amstrad's low-cost PCW computers in the mid-1980s gave Sage a mass market in the UK, and the company listed in London in 1989.
International growth and the move to cloud
Under Paul Walker, CEO from 1994 to 2010, Sage bought local accounting brands in Europe and the US, including Peachtree in 1999, the year it joined the FTSE 100. The company was slower than cloud-native rivals such as Xero and QuickBooks Online to move online. The 2017 purchase of Intacct for $850 million gave it a cloud product for mid-sized companies, and Steve Hare, CEO since November 2018, sold non-core businesses and shifted customers to subscriptions.
Financial performance
In FY25 (year to 30 September 2025) Sage reported underlying total revenue of ~$3.32 billion (£2,513 million), up 10%, with 97% recurring. Annualised recurring revenue rose 11% to ~$3.4 billion (£2,574 million), and underlying operating profit rose 17% to ~$792 million (£600 million), a 23.9% margin. Sage paid a 21.85p dividend and announced a buyback of up to $396 million (£300 million). Growth reached 11% in the first nine months of FY26, with revenue of ~$2.72 billion (£2,062 million).
Competitors
Sage competes with Intuit QuickBooks and Xero for small businesses, and with Oracle NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in the mid-market. North America is its largest region, at about 45% of revenue.
What comes next
Sage is adding AI features through Sage Copilot and AI agents, expanding Sage Intacct internationally, and benefiting from digital tax and e-invoicing rules in Europe. Jacqui Cartin became CFO in January 2026. FY26 full-year results are due in November 2026.
