SYDNEY — Shares of Xero Ltd. jumped as much as 13% on Thursday after the cloud accounting software company reported strong first-half revenue growth, raised its full-year outlook and announced a share buyback of up to A$1 billion.

Xero shares closed up A$3.97, or 5.60%, at A$74.83, after rising as high as A$80.02 earlier in the session. About 1.63 million shares changed hands, and the company's market value stood at about A$13 billion.

The stock climbed to its highest level since early September during the session, according to AAP. Despite Thursday's gains, Xero shares remain down about 47% over the past year.

Xero, based in Wellington, New Zealand, said revenue rose 46% to NZ$1.745 billion in the six months to Sept. 30. In constant currency, revenue........

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