October 10, 2024
Top 10 Stock Accenture Strong Buy Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: Accenture – Top 10 Stock in Diversity Leaders in Europe


accenture.comie-en


Accenture is listed as a top 10 stock on October 10, 2024 in the market index Diversity Europe because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Three consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. Only the Value Rank is below average. The investment rationale may be an investment in future growth, supported by professional market opinion. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 82 (top 82% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Accenture on October 10, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Ireland
Industry IT Consulting & oth. Services
Index Artificial Intelligence, Employee Focus EU, Diversity Europe, Moonshot Tech, Renewables Users, S&P 500
Size class XX-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° View Accenture Strong Buy

360 METRICS October 10, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 82 (better than 82% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Accenture are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Accenture. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 73, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth, as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 73% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Safety Rank at 88 means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 88% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. Finally, the consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 99, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 99% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank is less desirable at 3, meaning that the share price of Accenture is on the higher side compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 97% of alternative stocks in the same industry. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 82, Accenture is better positioned than 82% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as above-average growth (Growth Rank of 73), a safe financing structure (Safety Rank of 88), and positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 99), it is a solid stock investment where growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale, also reflected by institutional investors. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of Accenture compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The growth rank measures the growth momentum of the company (73% better than peers). The value rank could be the reverse reflection of that (27%). A Value Rank below that level may be assessed as expensive, a rank above that is still good value. Sometimes market sentiment just reflects the past, sometimes the reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Accenture very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS October 10, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 99 (better than 99% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Accenture is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Accenture. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 54 (better than 54% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 90, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Accenture. The Professional Investors rank is 99, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 99% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 86 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 86% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 99 (more positive than 99% compared with investment alternatives), Accenture has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Accenture stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more



Value Strategy: Accenture Stock Price Value low

VALUE METRICS October 10, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 3 (worse than 97% compared with alternatives), Accenture shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Accenture. Price-to-Sales is 5 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 95% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Accenture's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 5, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Accenture. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 7 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 65% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 3, is a sell recommendation based on Accenture's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Accenture? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Accenture? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Accenture may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Accenture Growth Momentum good

GROWTH METRICS October 10, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), Accenture shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Accenture. Sales Growth has a rank of 63 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 63% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 44% of competitors with a rank of 69, and Stock Returns with the rank of 67 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 44 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 56% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, Accenture is a good growth stock. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Accenture Debt Financing Safety very solid

SAFETY METRICS October 10, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Accenture has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Accenture is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Accenture. Leverage is at a rank of 100, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 100% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 97, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 97% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 28, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives), Accenture has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Accenture. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Accenture Below-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE October 10, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 42 (worse than 58% compared with investment alternatives), Accenture (IT Consulting & oth. Services, Ireland) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Accenture are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 3 (worse than 97% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 73) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 88, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 42, is a hold recommendation based on Accenture's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Accenture exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 3), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 73). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 88) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). ...read more

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