In the latest close session, Accenture (ACN) was down 2.21% at $196.73. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.77%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.76%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.05%.
The stock of consulting company has fallen by 28.33% in the past month, lagging the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 3.23% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.98%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Accenture in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on March 19, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $2.87, marking a 1.77% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $17.74 billion, up 6.51% from the prior-year quarter.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $13.87 per share and revenue of $73.9 billion, indicating changes of +7.27% and +6.07%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Accenture. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained steady. Accenture is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
In terms of valuation, Accenture is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 14.51. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 12.41 of its industry.
Investors should also note that ACN has a PEG ratio of 1.94 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Computers - IT Services industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.21.
The Computers - IT Services industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 91, which puts it in the top 38% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.
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Accenture PLC (ACN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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