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Quote this valuation with its source: Fair value, Potential value and the price at analysis.
FAQ
ACN — frequently asked questions
Is Accenture plc overvalued?
In our latest published analysis dated 2026-10-18, ACN trades close to fair value. The price recorded at analysis is 230 USD versus our fair value of 224 USD; the high endpoint is presented separately as potential value of 275 USD. That implies roughly 2.4% downside to fair value at that date.
Our latest published report, analyzed 2026-10-18, gives ACN a fair value of 224 USD and a potential value of 275 USD. The conclusion is triangulated across multiple valuation models and weighted by reliability for Accenture plc's archetype; it is a dated research output, not a live price.
Should I buy ACN now?
Our latest published rating for ACN, analyzed 2026-10-18, is Hold. Accenture plc trades close to fair value at the analysis-date price of 230 USD versus fair value of 224 USD; potential value is 275 USD. This is research for educational purposes, not personalized investment advice.
What are the biggest risks for ACN?
The dedicated bear-case section in our report analyzed 2026-10-18 documents Accenture plc's material risks, evidence, thresholds, and thesis-invalidation conditions. Scenario-specific explanations remain in that section so the report does not repeat or decontextualize them elsewhere.
What is ACN's rating?
Our latest published rating for ACN, analyzed 2026-10-18, is Hold, with a published moat assessment of 7.8/10 (Narrow). It reflects our fair value of 224 USD, the potential value of 275 USD, and the price recorded at analysis (230 USD).
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§1 Resumen ejecutivoEN
Respuesta en 30 segundosHold
Precio frente a valor
Precio
$229.68
Valor razonable
$224.17
Valor potencial
$275.15
A fecha de
2026-10-16
Por qué puede funcionar
Enterprise transformation acceleration as corporate clients scale generative AI from experimental prototypes into mission-critical production environments.
Qué cambiaría nuestra opinión
Broad-based enterprise discretionary consulting budget freeze accompanied by pricing concessions across core delivery contracts.
Accenture plc is rated Hold with Fair value of $224.17 against $229.68 as of $229.68 (as of 2026-10-16). While the company generated record free cash flow and robust bookings, the shares trade close to Fair value with -2.4% implied return, fairly balancing strong cash returns against slowing discretionary consulting demand and contract pricing pressure.4,5
Accenture completed a strong fiscal 2026, delivering revenue of $74.18 billion, up 6% in USD and 5% in local currency, with operating income increasing 12% to $11.41 billion. GAAP rose 12% to $13.56, while adjusted grew 8% to $13.97. reached $11.62 billion, supporting $11.51 billion in total cash returned to shareholders through $7.52 billion of share repurchases and $3.99 billion in dividends. For FY27, management guided for 3% to 6% local currency , GAAP diluted EPS of $14.39 to $14.81, and at least $9.5 billion in shareholder cash return.
Valuation metrics indicate that the stock is fairly valued at prevailing levels. Accenture trades at a forward P/E of 12.41x, comparable to IT solutions peer CDW at 12.50x and below diversified peer IBM at 17.65x. Fair value of $224.17 aligns closely with $229.68, reflecting -2.4% implied return, indicating that steady cash returns and guided 10 to 30 basis point operating margin expansion are already incorporated into market expectations.3,4,5
Longer-term upside potential from generative AI monetization, where bookings tripled and revenue doubled with emerging ecosystem partners in FY26, is tempered by near-term margin pressure. Management highlighted lower pricing in several areas during Q4 FY26, while Americas revenue growth moderated to 4%. A Hold rating appropriately reflects this balanced fundamental posture.5,7
Unrivaled Global Scale and Ecosystem Integration
Accenture is the leading integration partner for enterprise cloud and AI architectures, generating $84.54 billion in annual new bookings and maintaining 141 quarterly client relationships over $100 million.5
Generating $11.62 billion in FY26 free cash flow on an asset-light model, Accenture returned $11.51 billion to shareholders via repurchases ($7.52B) and dividends ($3.99B), and plans at least $9.5 billion in FY27 capital return.5
Generative AI Enterprise Deployment Leadership
Accenture tripled bookings and doubled revenue with emerging data and AI partners in FY26, positioning the firm to lead enterprise adoption as pilot projects transition into full-scale production.5
Recomendación de la casa
Accenture is rated Hold because the shares trade at $229.68 near Fair value of $224.17 with -2.4% implied return, appropriately balancing industry-leading cash conversion against near-term consulting demand deceleration and pricing pressure.4,5
Descripción general de la empresa
Accenture plc is a leading global professional services company incorporated in Ireland with principal executive offices in Dublin. The company provides broad services across strategy, consulting, digital core, cloud, and managed services across five industry groups: Products, Financial Services, Health & Public Service, Communications, Media & Technology, and Resources.
In FY26, total revenues reached $74.18 billion, divided between Consulting ($36.88 billion) and Managed Services ($37.30 billion). Geographically, the Americas generated $36.55 billion (49.3%), EMEA delivered $26.96 billion (36.3%), and Asia Pacific contributed $10.68 billion (14.4%). The company maintains a global workforce serving enterprise clients worldwide.
§2 Caso bajistaEN
A combined macroeconomic and technology-driven stress scenario models an enterprise consulting freeze occurring simultaneously with delivery commoditization. Under this joint shock, revenue growth stagnates between 0% and 2% while GAAP operating margin compresses to 12.50%. Annual free cash flow would contract significantly from the $11.62 billion recorded in FY26, constraining capital return capacity and testing the lower fair value range boundary of $172.99.
Exit multiples derating toward IT distribution and services peers3
A prolonged discretionary IT consulting spending freeze combined with competitive pricing pressure in commoditized service lines, dampening EPS growth to 2.5% to 3.5%. Operating margins face headwinds from delivery automation commoditization, while enterprise clients in the Americas and Europe delay project commencements.
Cómo puede fallar esta tesis
Delivery Automation Commoditization and Contract Pricing Concessions
Management noted lower contract pricing in multiple areas in Q4 FY26 and guided FY27 operating margin between 15.9% and 16.1%. If widespread pricing concessions and delivery automation commoditization reduce operating margin toward the broader industry benchmark of 12.50%, operating income would drop sharply, driving an estimated 23.5% reduction in fair value.5
FV impact
-3.3%
Operating margin 3 points lower throughout
Trigger
Within 12 months
Señales de alerta temprana a vigilar
Los cinco acontecimientos que debilitarían nuestra tesis de inversión.
Persistent contract pricing concessions in commoditized delivery expanding into core contracts, eroding operating margin below historical benchmarks.
Actual:15.38% (FY26 reported)
Alerta si< 14.50%
02
§3 Foso competitivoEN
Narrow
Accenture wide economic moat is built on structural advantages spanning unmatched global delivery scale, high customer switching costs, and preeminent ecosystem alliances. With a global workforce of 814,000 professionals operating across 13 industry verticals, Accenture provides complete life-cycle execution from high-level strategic transformation to routine infrastructure management. This breadth makes Accenture the default integration partner for Global 2000 enterprises undertaking complex multi-year modernization programs.
The company embedded position within core client workflows creates substantial switching barriers. In FY26, Managed Services generated $37.30 billion in revenue (50.3% of total revenue), growing 8% in USD and providing recurring visibility. Accenture ongoing management of enterprise cybersecurity, ERP implementations, and cloud operations creates operational inertia, making vendor replacement costly and disruptive for enterprise leadership teams.
Furthermore, Accenture ecosystem partnerships with leading enterprise software, hyperscale cloud, and emerging artificial intelligence platforms form an self-reinforcing advantage. In FY26, generative AI bookings tripled and related revenue doubled, demonstrating that technology creators rely on Accenture professional bench to implement complex software suites into enterprise operations. This positioning ensures enduring excess returns on capital over economic cycles.
Beneficio económico
Accenture generates substantial economic profit above its cost of capital. For FY26, operating income reached $11.41 billion on revenue of $74.18 billion, achieving a GAAP operating margin of 15.38%. Return on invested capital (ROIC) stands at 15.88% based on external benchmark calculations, substantially exceeding the house computed weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of 8.98% (derived from a moderate cost of equity of 9.43% and pre-tax cost of debt of 5.64%). This positive economic spread of approximately 690 basis points reflects enduring structural advantages rather than balance-sheet leverage, as total debt is modest at $13.40 billion.2,4,6
7.8/ 10
Narrow
Sources of advantage
01Global Scale and Multidisciplinary Delivery Ecosystem — Accenture employs approximately 814,000 professionals serving roughly 9,000 enterprise clients across 120 countries, generating $74.18 billion in FY26 revenue and $84.54 billion in annual new bookings. This global scale provides multidisciplinary delivery capabilities and operating efficiencies that smaller regional systems integrators cannot match.Wide
02High Enterprise Switching Costs and Embedded Workflow Integration — Accenture serves 141 clients with quarterly bookings exceeding $100 million, deeply embedding its managed services ($37.30 billion in FY26 revenue) into mission-critical operational processes, IT architectures, and proprietary enterprise workflows. Displacing Accenture involves significant switching friction and operational execution risk.
Amenazas conocidas al foso
Amenaza
Severidad
Cronograma
Mitigación
Delivery Automation Commoditizing Standardized IT Tasks
medium
12 to 24 months
Accenture is deploying advanced generative AI reasoning agents and proprietary delivery automation across internal operations while upskilling its global workforce to shift billings toward higher-value transformation programs.5
The highlighted cell is Fair value when every assumption sits at its base level ($224.17). Each row and column shows what Fair value becomes when one assumption moves.
Free cash flow to the firm stays positive in the first projected year at $8.5B after modeled reinvestment of $739.2M, with terminal value at 76.7% of enterprise value. A sudden drop in free cash flow is not projected unless capital spending relative to revenue, reinvestment, or gross margin resets materially.
An accelerated transformation environment where enterprise generative AI spending scales rapidly across global corporations, driving premium earnings growth. Strong pricing power and high utilization allow operating margins to expand toward cycle highs, while capital returns accelerate via robust free cash flow conversion.
Revenue growth of 4.5% in FY27, 5.1% in FY28, 5.0% in FY29, 4.8% in FY30, and 4.5% in FY31
§7 Árbol de decisión de resultadosEN
Superado
Upgrade the rating; Assess expanding portfolio allocation if bookings and constant-currency revenue outpace expectations.
Disparador: Q1 FY27 revenue exceeds $19.60 billion and full-year local currency revenue guidance is revised above 6.0% with operating margin expansion exceeding 30 basis points.5
An operational beat would confirm accelerating enterprise demand for generative AI transformation and resilience against competitive pricing headwinds, improving intrinsic fair value.
En línea
Maintain Hold; Maintain current portfolio exposure and monitor quarterly book-to-bill ratios and margin progression.
Disparador: Q1 FY27 revenue within $18.95-$19.60 billion (2% to 6% growth) and full-year operating margin expansion within guided 10 to 30 basis points.5
Results meeting guidance confirm steady execution in line with the house base-case forecast, leaving intrinsic valuation balanced with prevailing market pricing.
Fallo
Downgrade the rating; Re-evaluate portfolio sizing and consider trimming exposure if bookings and margins confirm sustained delivery commoditization.
A miss would signal worsening pricing deflation, enterprise consulting budget cutbacks, and potential contract loss to lower-cost providers.
Calidad de los beneficios
Accenture earnings quality is exceptionally high, validated by reliable cash conversion and transparent reporting. Free cash flow comfortably exceeds GAAP net income, confirming high conversion of accounting earnings into realized cash. Non-GAAP adjustments are modest and transparently disclosed, primarily reflecting business optimization severance costs bridging GAAP diluted earnings per share to adjusted results. Days services outstanding remained stable, confirming disciplined working capital and receivables management.6
Evolución de las estimaciones
Consensus estimate revisions following the Q4 FY26 earnings release are flat to modestly mixed. FY27 consensus EPS moved from $14.67 pre-event to $14.67 post-event, and was recorded at $14.66 as of October 18, 2026. Full-year FY27 consensus revenue increased by 1.05% from $76.55 billion to $77.43 billion. Near-term Q1 FY27 EPS consensus was adjusted downward by 1.10% from $3.99 to $3.95, reflecting management commentary regarding Q4 contract pricing concessions and competitive intensity.1,5
Métricas a vigilar antes de la publicación
01
Métrica:
New Bookings and Book-to-Bill Ratio
ActualNew bookings reached $22.17B in Q4 FY26 (book-to-bill 1.2x) and $84.54B for full-year FY26.
Por qué importa
Bookings indicate forward revenue conversion and demand visibility across Consulting and Managed Services.
Accenture demonstrates premier cash conversion. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2026, cash flow from operations reached $12.36 billion, an increase from $11.47 billion in FY25. Capital expenditures were $742.75 million (up from $600.04 million in FY25), generating free cash flow of $11.62 billion compared with $10.87 billion in FY25. Days services outstanding (DSOs) ended at 50 days, and total cash and equivalents stood at $12.83 billion against total debt of $13.40 billion. For FY27, management guides operating cash flow to $11.90-$12.70 billion and capex to ~$900 million, resulting in expected free cash flow of $11.00-$11.80 billion.4,5,6,8
Accenture return on capital reflects an asset-light professional services model characterized by strong operating margins (15.38% GAAP in FY26) and low capital expenditure requirements ($742.75M capex vs $74.18B revenue). Management guidance for 10 to 30 basis points of operating margin expansion in FY27 supports stable return metrics over the medium term.
External benchmark return on invested capital (ROIC) is 15.88%, outperforming the house computed WACC of 8.98% (with a pre-tax of 5.64% and moderate of 9.43%) by approximately 690 basis points. This wide economic spread confirms persistent shareholder value creation.
Ingresos más recientes74,2 mil M US$CAGR de ingresos +8,3 %
Margen operativo15,4 %10 periodos fiscales
Flujo de caja libre más reciente11,6 mil M US$FY2026
Deuda neta559,2 M US$FY2026
Desglose de la cuenta de resultadosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Ingresos74,2 mil M US$Coste de ventas−50,4 mil M US$Beneficio bruto23,8 mil M US$Gastos operativos−12,4 mil M US$Beneficio operativo11,4 mil M US$Partidas no operativas e impuestos−3038,9 M US$Beneficio neto8367,1 M US$
Datos del historial financiero
Ingresos
74.183.445.000 US$
Coste de ventas
50.407.847.000 US$
Beneficio bruto
23.775.598.000 US$
Gastos operativos
12.369.638.000 US$
Beneficio operativo
11.405.960.000 US$
Partidas no operativas e impuestos
-3.038.904.000 US$
Beneficio neto
8.367.056.000 US$
Resumen del balanceCómo se mantienen y financian los activos declarados en el período seleccionado.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Composición de activosFinanciado por
Activos totales73,6 mil M US$Efectivo12,8 mil M US$Activos corrientes31,8 mil M US$Pasivos totales40,3 mil M US$Pasivos corrientes22,3 mil M US$Patrimonio neto32,7 mil M US$
Datos del desglose del balance
Activos totales
73.597.792.000 US$
Efectivo
12.831.471.000 US$
Activos corrientes
31.831.140.000 US$
Pasivos totales
40.340.676.000 US$
Pasivos corrientes
22.304.374.000 US$
Patrimonio neto
32.724.354.000 US$
Puente de flujo de cajaCómo el flujo de caja operativo se convirtió en flujo de caja libre en FY2026.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Conciliación del flujo operativo
Beneficio neto8367,1 M US$Depreciación y amortización+2355,3 M US$Compensación basada en acciones+2100,4 M US$Otros ajustes operativos−459,4 M US$Flujo de caja operativo12,4 mil M US$
Conciliación del efectivo inicial al final
Efectivo inicial11,5 mil M US$Flujo de caja operativo+12,4 mil M US$Flujo de inversión−5636,7 M US$Flujo de financiación−5314,5 M US$Efecto del tipo de cambio−59,4 M US$Efectivo final12,8 mil M US$
12,4 mil M US$ − 742,7 M US$Flujo de caja libre 11,6 mil M US$
Datos del puente de flujo de caja
Beneficio neto
8.367.056.000 US$
Entrada operativa
12.822.771.000 US$
Depreciación y amortización
2.355.282.000 US$
Compensación basada en acciones
2.100.433.000 US$
Flujo de caja operativo
12.363.346.000 US$
Salida operativa
459.425.000 US$
Efectivo disponible
23.842.075.000 US$
Efectivo inicial
11.478.729.000 US$
Salida de inversión
5.636.688.000 US$
Capex
742.748.000 US$
Otras actividades de inversión
4.893.940.000 US$
Salida de financiación
5.314.496.000 US$
Efecto del tipo de cambio
59.420.000 US$
Efectivo final
12.831.471.000 US$
Flujo de inversión
-5.636.688.000 US$
Flujo de financiación
-5.314.496.000 US$
Ingresos por segmento operativoProporción de los ingresos totales de 2026-08-31.
74,2 mil M US$Ingresos totales
Ingresos por segmento operativoProporción
Americas36,5 mil M US$49,3 %+4,3 % interanual
EMEA27 mil M US$36,3 %+9,4 % interanual
Asia Pacific10,7 mil M US$14,4 %+7,1 % interanual
Fuente: SEC EDGAR · Presentado 2026-10-16 · SEC EDGAR
Datos de composición de ingresos: Ingresos por segmento operativo
Ingresos por segmento operativo
Ingresos
Proporción
interanual
Americas
36,5 mil M US$
49,3 %
4,3 %
EMEA
27 mil M US$
36,3 %
9,4 %
Asia Pacific
10,7 mil M US$
14,4 %
7,1 %
Ingresos y beneficiosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.
Efectivo y deudaLiquidez disponible frente al endeudamiento total.
Generación de efectivoFlujo de caja operativo frente al flujo de caja libre.
RentabilidadEvolución de los márgenes bruto, operativo y neto.
Datos financieros puntuales utilizados en el análisis del 2026-10-18.
Datos del historial financiero
Período
Ingresos
EBITDA
Beneficio neto
Flujo de caja operativo
Flujo de caja libre
Capex
Depreciación y amortización
Compensación basada en acciones
Recompras de acciones
Dividendos pagados
Emisión neta de deuda
Flujo de inversión
Flujo de financiación
Efectivo inicial
Efectivo final
Efectivo e inversiones
Deuda total
Margen operativo
ROIC
WACC
Diferencial ROIC−WACC
2017-08-31
36,2 mil M US$
5433,4 M US$
3445,1 M US$
4973 M US$
4457,1 M US$
515,9 M US$
801,8 M US$
795,2 M US$
2649,1 M US$
1567,6 M US$
—
-2233,9 M US$
-3560,2 M US$
—
4126,9 M US$
4129,9 M US$
25,1 M US$
14,4 %
—
5,9 %
—
2018-08-31
41 mil M US$
6754,4 M US$
4059,9 M US$
6026,7 M US$
5407,5 M US$
619,2 M US$
926,8 M US$
976,9 M US$
2639,1 M US$
1708,7 M US$
—
-1249,6 M US$
-3709 M US$
4126,9 M US$
5061,4 M US$
5064,6 M US$
25 M US$
14,4 %
—
6,4 %
—
2019-08-31
43,2 mil M US$
7167,5 M US$
4779,1 M US$
6627 M US$
6027,9 M US$
599 M US$
892,8 M US$
1093,3 M US$
2691,1 M US$
1864,4 M US$
—
-1755,6 M US$
-3767,2 M US$
5061,4 M US$
6126,9 M US$
6130,2 M US$
22,7 M US$
14,6 %
—
5,4 %
—
2020-08-31
44,3 mil M US$
8580,5 M US$
5107,8 M US$
8215,2 M US$
7616 M US$
599,1 M US$
1022,4 M US$
1197,8 M US$
2915,8 M US$
2037,7 M US$
—
-1894,5 M US$
-4049,1 M US$
6126,9 M US$
8415,3 M US$
8509,6 M US$
3485,5 M US$
14,7 %
—
4,5 %
—
2021-08-31
50,5 mil M US$
9711,9 M US$
5906,8 M US$
8975,1 M US$
8395 M US$
580,1 M US$
1127,6 M US$
1343 M US$
3703,1 M US$
2236,1 M US$
—
-4309,8 M US$
-4926,3 M US$
8415,3 M US$
8168,2 M US$
8172,5 M US$
3506,6 M US$
15,1 %
—
5,3 %
—
2022-08-31
61,6 mil M US$
10,3 mil M US$
6877,2 M US$
9541,1 M US$
8823,1 M US$
718 M US$
1319,2 M US$
1679,8 M US$
4116,4 M US$
2457,3 M US$
0 US$
-4260,6 M US$
-5311 M US$
8168,2 M US$
7889,8 M US$
7893,8 M US$
3325,8 M US$
15,2 %
—
7,4 %
—
2023-08-31
64,1 mil M US$
10,2 mil M US$
6871,6 M US$
9524,3 M US$
8996,1 M US$
528,2 M US$
1412,1 M US$
1913,1 M US$
4330,4 M US$
2827,4 M US$
100 M US$
-2622,5 M US$
-5645,3 M US$
7889,8 M US$
9045 M US$
9049,6 M US$
3149 M US$
13,7 %
—
8,6 %
—
2024-08-31
64,9 mil M US$
10,8 mil M US$
7264,8 M US$
9131 M US$
8614,5 M US$
516,5 M US$
1443,2 M US$
1941,6 M US$
4524,6 M US$
3241,5 M US$
827,8 M US$
-7061,8 M US$
-6063,5 M US$
9045 M US$
5004,5 M US$
5009,9 M US$
4120,5 M US$
14,8 %
—
8,4 %
—
2025-08-31
69,7 mil M US$
12,2 mil M US$
7678,4 M US$
11,5 mil M US$
10,9 mil M US$
600 M US$
1705,5 M US$
2093,9 M US$
4619,5 M US$
3700,2 M US$
4129,2 M US$
-2019,7 M US$
-2948,3 M US$
5004,5 M US$
11,5 mil M US$
11,5 mil M US$
8182,9 M US$
14,7 %
—
8,9 %
—
2026-08-31
74,2 mil M US$
14 mil M US$
8367,1 M US$
12,4 mil M US$
11,6 mil M US$
742,7 M US$
2355,3 M US$
2100,4 M US$
7521 M US$
3987,3 M US$
—
-5636,7 M US$
-5314,5 M US$
11,5 mil M US$
12,8 mil M US$
12,8 mil M US$
13,4 mil M US$
15,4 %
—
8,6 %
—
§9 Comparación de valoración con pares
Valor razonableReport-date price
Accenture plcACN
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable224,17 US$Report-date price229,68 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión70 / 100
International Business Machines CorporationIBM
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable223,86 US$Report-date price234,89 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNone
Cuadro de mando de inversión50 / 100
CDW CorporationCDW
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable156,65 US$Report-date price142,17 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión60 / 100
Accenture plcACN
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable224,17 US$Report-date price229,68 US$
Accenture plc (ACN) trades at 12.4x forward earnings against a peer median of 17.3x. Its EV/EBITDA of 9.9x compares with a peer median of 16.2x. The comparison uses 4 peers: International Business Machines Corporation, CDW Corporation, Corning Incorporated and QUALCOMM Incorporated, as of 2026-10-18.
§10 Industria y cicloEN
Fase del ciclo
Expansion
Industry-level capital intensity is structurally low, with the IT services benchmark capex-to-revenue ratio at 2.9% (-0.029) and capex-to-depreciation at 0.35. Accenture own capital expenditures were $742.75 million on $74.18 billion in revenue (1.0% capex/revenue) in FY26, with FY27 capex guided to approximately $900 million. Because physical capacity, supply bottlenecks, and lead-time metrics are absent in human-capital services, this industry cycle view is demand-led and evidence-limited.5,6
Ciclo alcista
In an expansionary cycle, enterprise clients execute multi-year digital reinvention programs, cloud migrations, and generative AI integrations across their core architectures. Corporate budgets expand from exploratory pilots into full-scale enterprise deployments, driving consulting book-to-bill ratios above 1.2x and supporting mid-to-high single-digit revenue growth alongside 20 to 30 basis points of annual operating margin expansion.
Ciclo bajista
In an IT services contraction, enterprise clients delay discretionary consulting projects, scrutinize software implementation budgets, and seek pricing concessions on legacy application management. Consulting revenue growth slows, contract durations extend, and billable utilization softens, necessitating operational restructuring and severance costs.
Tendencias seculares
Tendencia
Impacto
Nota
Enterprise Generative AI Operationalization
positive
Enterprises are moving from experimental AI prototypes to core workflow implementations across supply chain, customer care, and finance, driving substantial systems integration and data architecture demand.
Shift Toward Managed Services and Cost Optimization
positive
Enterprises are outsourcing application management and digital operations to managed service providers (which grew 8% in USD to $37.30 billion in FY26) to achieve structural cost reductions and productivity gains.
Posicionamiento
Accenture is positioned as the primary reinvention partner for Fortune Global 500 corporations, serving 141 clients with over $100 million in quarterly bookings. Its balanced revenue mix between Consulting (50%, $36.88 billion) and Managed Services (50%, $37.30 billion) provides recurring baseline cash flow during discretionary spending pauses. Its scale advantage enables $5.0 billion in targeted acquisition investments in FY27 to capture emerging growth in AI and cybersecurity.5
§11 Gestión de posiciónEN
Tamaño de posición
3-4%
Accenture is an elite core technology franchise. However, given the current Hold rating and the market price of $229.68 trading at a 2.46% premium to intrinsic fair value of $224.17, maintaining a neutral benchmark weighting of 3-4% in diversified equity portfolios is recommended rather than adding new capital.4
Riesgo
Risk management centers on portfolio diversification and monitoring enterprise consulting spending cycles. Because Accenture is sensitive to corporate IT budgets, exposure should be balanced against non-cyclical holdings. The company pristine balance sheet ($12.83 billion in cash and equivalents against $13.40 billion in debt) and strong free cash flow generation provide robust downside risk mitigation.
Tramos de entrada
Nivel
Acción
Por qué
Pullback below $179.34
Initial accumulation tranche
Represents an approximate 20.0% discount to Fair value ($224.17), offering an attractive risk-adjusted entry point.
At $229.68, Accenture trades at a modest 2.46% premium to intrinsic fair value of $224.17 and 12.41x forward earnings, offering balanced valuation without sufficient margin of safety to initiate fresh buying.4
Income / Dividend Growth Investor
Hold
Accenture provides reliable, compounding dividend income supported by a 5% dividend increase to $1.71 per share quarterly and $11.62 billion in annual free cash flow, warranting continued holding for income compounding.5
Growth Investor
Hold
While generative AI bookings and technology alliances are expanding rapidly, overall top-line growth is projected in the mid-single digits (3% to 6% guided for FY27), suggesting modest near-term capital appreciation.5
§14 Recomendación finalEN
Acción
Mantener
Maintain existing holdings in Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN). The company exceptional competitive scale, leading enterprise generative AI positioning, and premier cash flow conversion ($11.62B FCF in FY26) are balanced by a market price of $229.68 that sits at a 2.46% premium to intrinsic fair value of $224.17.4
With FY27 revenue growth guided to 3% to 6% in local currency and operating margin expansion projected at 10 to 30 basis points, the risk-reward profile is balanced, warranting patience for either earnings acceleration or price pullbacks.
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Sources
The records this analysis drew on, as they stood when it was run.
Analyst consensusData as of 2026-10-18 · Published 2026-10-18 · Provider-adjusted · cited for 1 figureCited in Árbol de decisión de resultados
Financial statementsData as of 2025-08-31 · Published 2026-10-18 · cited for 1 figureCited in Historial financiero
Not every cited input appears here: internal calculations and intermediate model outputs have no external record, and some citations could not be matched to one.
Discretionary IT Consulting Freeze Across Americas and Europe
Accenture full-year FY27 guidance anticipates 3% to 6% local currency revenue growth, but FY26 Americas revenue growth already slowed to 4% ($36.55 billion). A broader macroeconomic downturn freezing discretionary corporate consulting projects across North America and Europe would push 5-year revenue CAGR down to 0%, resulting in an estimated 28% decline in fair value.5,7
FV impact
-5%
Revenue and EPS growth 5 points lower for five years
Trigger
Within 24 months
Multiple Derating Toward IT Distribution and Services Peers
The house valuation model applies a terminal price-to-earnings multiple of 16.0x. However, IT services and solutions peer CDW trades at a forward P/E of 12.50x and the broader market forward P/E stands at 12.41x. Commoditization of implementation work would compress Accenture exit multiple below 12.8x toward peer levels, driving an estimated 18.5% reduction in fair value.3,4
Prolonged freeze in enterprise discretionary consulting and systems integration budgets across North American corporations.
Actual:4.0% YoY in FY26
Alerta si< 2.0% YoY
03
Quarterly Book-to-Bill Ratio
Quarterly contract bookings failing to keep pace with revenue burn, indicating shrinking forward project backlogs.
Actual:1.2x (Q4 FY26)
Alerta si< 1.0x
04
Days Services Outstanding (DSOs)
Enterprise client payment delays or milestone sign-off disputes slowing cash collection and elevating working capital intensity.
Actual:50 days as of August 31, 2026
Alerta si> 55 days
05
Consulting New Bookings
Corporate postponement of discretionary advisory and strategy projects, driving immediate utilization pressure on professional headcount.
Actual:$9.40B in Q4 FY26 (book-to-bill 1.0x) and $40.86B in FY26
Alerta si< $8.50B quarterly or book-to-bill < 0.9x
Wide
03Strategic Alliances Across Leading Technology Ecosystems — Accenture maintains premier strategic partnership tiers with all dominant enterprise cloud and technology platforms, doubling revenue and tripling bookings with emerging data and AI leaders in FY26. These alliances grant preferred co-development access and joint go-to-market pipelines that standalone consulting firms cannot easily replicate.Wide
Contract Pricing Pressure in Competitive Bidding
medium
6 to 12 months
Management expanded FY26 gross margin by 10 basis points through delivery efficiencies and guided FY27 operating margin expansion of 10 to 30 basis points despite competitive pressures.5
Software Vendors Deploying Direct Forward-Deployed Engineering Models
low
18 to 36 months
Accenture provides vendor-agnostic architecture integration across multi-cloud environments and end-to-end industry processes that single-platform software vendors cannot match.5
Discounted forecast-period cash flows (63,01 US$) plus discounted terminal value (208 US$) minus signed per current share (0,91 US$) equals the 270 US$ lens value shown above. Negative net debt is , so subtracting it raises value.
The modal expected trajectory assumes revenue growth compounding at 4.5% to 5.1% annually through FY31, supported by steady managed services demand and moderate expansion in enterprise AI projects. Operating margins expand gradually from 15.38% to 16.0% in FY27, 16.2% in FY28, and reach 16.5% by FY31. Diluted share count decreases steadily via share repurchases.
Por qué importa
The Americas represents 49.3% of revenue and 54.7% of operating profit, making it the primary barometer of discretionary corporate spending.7
Accenture follows a shareholder-centric capital allocation strategy. In FY26, the company returned $11.51 billion to shareholders, including $7.52 billion in share repurchases and redemptions (39.9 million shares) and $3.99 billion in cash dividends ($1.63 per share quarterly). The board approved a 5% dividend increase to $1.71 per share payable in November 2026 and authorized an additional $6.0 billion in share repurchases, bringing total outstanding authority to $6.9 billion. For FY27, management committed to returning at least $9.5 billion to shareholders, including $5.5 billion in share repurchases. On the investment side, cash deployed for acquisitions was $4.94 billion in FY26, with an additional $5.0 billion planned for FY27 to scale capabilities in data, AI, and cybersecurity.
Broad-Based Revenue Expansion with Continued Geographic Dependence on the Americas
FY26 revenue expanded 6% to $74.18 billion, with the Americas contributing $36.55 billion (up 4%), EMEA $26.96 billion (up 9%), and Asia Pacific $10.68 billion (up 7%), generating $11.41 billion in GAAP operating income.
Geographic diversification provides operational resilience, but the Americas segment operating income ($6.24 billion) represents 54.7% of total operating income, maintaining geographic dependence.
Share-based compensation was $2.10 billion in FY26, which was more than offset by $7.52 billion in share repurchases and redemptions, lowering diluted share count to 617.50 million.
Net share reduction contributed $0.33 to FY26 adjusted EPS growth and supports future per-share compounding.
Corning IncorporatedGLW
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable42,88 US$Report-date price156,74 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión64 / 100
QUALCOMM IncorporatedQCOM
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable120,42 US$Report-date price174,09 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNone
Cuadro de mando de inversión50 / 100
Margen
ACN
Accenture plc
$140.6B
12.4x
1.9x
9.9x
26.0%
—
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation
$218.7B
17.7x
3.2x
16.8x
34.5%
16.5%
CDW
CDW Corporation
$18.8B
12.5x
0.8x
12.4x
44.0%
7.3%
GLW
Corning Incorporated
$113.5B
30.2x
6.7x
29.7x
16.8%
15.6%
QCOM
QUALCOMM Incorporated
$183.8B
16.9x
4.2x
15.6x
33.8%
18.5%
Automated Software Engineering and Delivery Tooling
neutral
Deflating AI token costs and automated coding tools reduce billable hours on standardized software tasks, creating pricing friction while opening opportunities in strategic architectural redesign.
Investigate contract pricing dynamics and assess structural erosion from delivery automation commoditization.