Accenture (ACN) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note

In the latest trading session, Accenture (ACN) closed at $255.88, marking a +2.71% move from the previous day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.59% for the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.02%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.46%. Shares of the consulting company have depreciated by 11.8% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 3.91%, and the S&P 500's gain of 2.49%.The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Accenture in its forthcoming earnings report. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $2.98, reflecting a 6.81% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $17.33 billion, up 5.6% from the prior-year quarter. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $12.88 per share and a revenue of $69.41 billion, demonstrating changes of +7.78% and +6.95%, respectively, from the preceding year. Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Accenture. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. 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. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.04% increase. At present, Accenture boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Looking at its valuation, Accenture is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 19.35. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 16.87, so one might conclude that Accenture is trading at a premium comparatively. Meanwhile, ACN's PEG ratio is currently 2.27. 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. The Computers - IT Services industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.09 as trading concluded yesterday. The Computers - IT Services industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 153, putting it in the bottom 39% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Accenture PLC (ACN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks