Why the Market Dipped But Accenture (ACN) Gained Today

Company Performance - Accenture (ACN) closed at $307.11, reflecting a +1.14% change from the previous day, outperforming the S&P 500's loss of 0.27% [1] - Over the past month, Accenture's shares have decreased by 4.16%, underperforming the Business Services sector's gain of 5.11% and the S&P 500's gain of 7.34% [1] - The upcoming earnings report is expected to show an EPS of$ 3.14, indicating a 1.57% decline from the same quarter last year, with projected quarterly revenue of $16.57 billion, a slight increase of 0.01% year-over-year [1] Earnings Estimates - For the full year, earnings are projected at$ 12.09 per share and revenue at $65.31 billion, representing increases of +3.6% and +1.87% from the previous year [2] - Recent changes to analyst estimates for Accenture reflect short-term business trends, with upward revisions indicating analysts' positive outlook on the company's profitability [2] Valuation Metrics - Accenture currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 25.11, which is higher than the industry's average Forward P/E of 23.36 [3] - The company has a PEG ratio of 3.3, compared to the average PEG ratio of 1.42 for the Consulting Services industry, indicating a premium valuation relative to expected earnings growth [3] Industry Context - The Consulting Services industry is part of the Business Services sector, holding a Zacks Industry Rank of 75, placing it in the top 30% of over 250 industries [4] - The Zacks Industry Rank measures the strength of industry groups, with the top 50% rated industries outperforming the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [4]