Accenture Stock Rises 17% in 6 Months: How Should Investors Play It?

Accenture ACN shares have gained 17% in the past six months, aligning with the rally of its industry and outperforming the 12.5% rise in the Zacks S&P 500 Composite.Six-Month Price Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research ACN’s performance is significantly higher than that of its industry peers, Draganfly Inc. DPRO and Clarivate Plc CLVT. DPRO and CLVT have declined 17.6% and 19.1% over the same period, respectively.As of the last trading session, the ACN stock’s price closed at $378.4, which was 2.4% below its 52-week high of $387.5. Also, it is trading above its 50-day moving average, suggesting a bullish sentiment among investors.Stock Trades Above 50-SMA Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Given the recent rise in ACN shares, investors might be tempted to buy the stock. Whether it is the right time to ride the rally is a question that remains unanswered. Let us find out.Accenture Benefits From GenAI ExpansionThe GenAI market is anticipated to grow, seeing a CAGR of 37.6% from 2025 to 2030. Partnerships with OpenAI, Sanctuary AI and others have solidified ACN’s position in the GenAI market. These collaborators provide access to top-notch AI models and solutions, enabling the company to develop bespoke solutions that cater to specific enterprise needs.For instance, a partnership with OpenAI has enabled ACN to integrate an advanced large language model into its tools, improving its predictive analytics and knowledge management. This is exemplified by the company’s work on Vodafone, demonstrating enhanced customer experience, improved containment rate and lower workload.Accenture’s expertise in GenAI drove $3 billion in GenAI-related bookings in fiscal 2024 and remained optimistic, with $1.2 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. ACN’s financial capacity to allocate resources to gain technical advantage over subscale players assists it in dominating the GenAI field.  Accenture’s Robust Liquidity PositionIn the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the company’s current ratio of 1.47 underperformed the industry average of 1.73. However, due to an upsurge in cash and cash equivalents, the metric increased 33.6% from the preceding quarter and 10.5% from the year-ago quarter. ACN has a current ratio exceeding 1, which implies that the company might be easily able to pay off short-term debt. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research ACN’s FY24 & FY25 Top & Bottom-Line Prospects Look StrongThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for Accenture’s fiscal 2025 revenues is pegged at $68.6 billion, implying 5.8% year-over-year growth. The consensus estimate for fiscal 2026 revenues is pinned at $73 billion, suggesting 6.4% year-over-year growth.The consensus estimate for ACN’s fiscal 2025 earnings is at $12.7 per share, indicating a 6.2% year-over-year rise. For fiscal 2026, the bottom-line estimate is at $13.7 per share, hinting at 7.7% year-over-year growth.Saturated ERP Market Hurts Accenture’s DemandThe Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) market has been active for a while, and it has already been captured by customers that provide the best services. This scenario is changing things for Accenture’s customers in such a way that they are making decisions to tighten belts and cut projects. Such action might compel ACN’s services to enter the maintenance mode as numerous corporations are freezing new and low-ROI projects.The 2023 mass layoff of 19,000 people is a testament that the company will not shy away from downsizing if macroeconomic concerns and uncertainty sprout. If a situation as such arises, the company will find itself in dire strait, unable to close new ERP and digitization projects. Moreover, intermediaries like Accenture will be cut off as companies that offer solutions like SAP and Oracle streamline onboarding and migration processes, making it easier for new clients to integrate all of their internal systems.ACN’s AI Intensive M&A Strategy Looks TroublesomeAccenture’s asset-light business model, coupled with low capital expenditure and a high free cash flow, facilitates buyouts. In fiscal 2024, the company spent $6.6 billion across 46 strategic acquisitions, which implies that it is not shy of buying out companies that benefit its performance.Given the need to propel its AI services, it is certainly possible that the company seeks to acquire companies that can speed up its market penetration. Therefore, there is a risk of overpayment or making bad buyouts, especially in the current turbulent AI market.Be Patient & Hold on to ACNAccenture is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing GenAI market. The ability to scale allows the company to become the victor among other operators. Its robust liquidity position, and strong top and bottom-line prospects make the stock favorable for investing in the long run.However, considering the negative impacts of a saturated ERP market and frequent acquisitions in the current AI market turmoil, it is prudent for investors to refrain from buying the stock right now. Monitoring Accenture’s ability to navigate within the AI market should be instrumental in making investment decisions.Accenture carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want 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 Report Clarivate PLC (CLVT): Free Stock Analysis Report Draganfly Inc. (DPRO): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks