ACN
Accenture plc
ACN offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
MSFT has the edge over ACN overall, supported by stronger modeled upside and lower modeled downside.
ACN Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
ACN's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable.
MSFT Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
MSFT's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
ACN PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 17x | $250 | — |
| Current | 18x | $250 | — |
| Cheap | 21x | $285 | +14% |
| Fair | 28x | $381 | +52% |
| Expensive | 33x | $447 | +79% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ACN's PE is in its cheap range at 18x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 17x next year's earnings.
MSFT PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 25x | $523 | — |
| Cheap | 27x | $525 | +0.4% |
| Current | 27x | $523 | — |
| Fair | 34x | $652 | +25% |
| Expensive | 37x | $711 | +36% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MSFT has the edge over ACN in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
ACN Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for ACN, with profitability holding steady.
MSFT Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Stable | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for MSFT, with profitability holding steady.
ACN Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $14.67 | +8.2% |
| Q3 2026 | $13.56 | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.52 | -0.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $12.21 | +0.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $12.10 | +1.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $12.15 | +6.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $12.56 | +15% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.11 | +9.8% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.92 | +10% |
ACN earned $13.56 per share over the past year, up 12% from the year before.
MSFT Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $20.79 | +8.6% |
| Q3 2026 | $19.15 | +36% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.95 | +32% |
| Q1 2026 | $16.80 | +30% |
| Q4 2025 | $15.99 | +29% |
| Q3 2025 | $14.06 | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | $13.64 | +16% |
| Q1 2025 | $12.93 | +12% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.41 | +12% |
MSFT has the edge over ACN on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
ACN Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $18.7B | +6.2% |
| Q2 2026 | $18.7B | +5.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $18B | +8.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $18.7B | +6% |
| Q3 2025 | $17.6B | +7.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $17.7B | +7.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $16.7B | +5.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $17.7B | +9% |
ACN's revenue has grown year over year for nine quarters in a row: $18.7B last quarter, up 6.2% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 15% | +3.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 17% | +0.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 14% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 15% | -1.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 12% | -2.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | +0.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | +0.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 17% | +0.9 points |
ACN's operating margin was 15% last quarter, up 3.7 points from the same quarter a year ago.
MSFT Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $92.3B | +19% |
| Q2 2026 | $90B | +18% |
| Q1 2026 | $82.9B | +18% |
| Q4 2025 | $81.3B | +17% |
| Q3 2025 | $77.7B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $76.4B | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $70.1B | +13% |
| Q4 2024 | $69.6B | +12% |
MSFT has the edge over ACN on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 50% | +0.9 points |
| Q2 2026 | 45% | +0.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +0.7 points |
| Q4 2025 | 47% | +1.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 49% | +2.3 points |
| Q2 2025 | 45% | +1.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 46% | +1.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 45% | +1.9 points |
MSFT has the edge over ACN on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
ACN Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.8B | -25% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.6B | +2.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.7B | +37% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.5B | +73% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.8B | +20% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.5B | +16% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.7B | +35% |
| Q4 2024 | $870.3M | +103% |
ACN has the edge over MSFT on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
MSFT Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $18.6B | -27% |
| Q2 2026 | $19.6B | -23% |
| Q1 2026 | $15.8B | -22% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.9B | -9.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $25.7B | +33% |
| Q2 2025 | $25.6B | +9.6% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.3B | -3.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $6.5B | -29% |
MSFT's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $60B over the past year, down 23% from the year before.
ACN Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.7% | -10.3M shares |
| 1 year | -3.8% | -24.1M shares |
| 3 years | -5.3% | -34M shares |
| 5 years | -6.2% | -40M shares |
| Available history | -6.8% | -44.1M shares |
ACN has the edge over MSFT on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.3B |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q1 2026 | $1.7B |
| Q4 2025 | $2.3B |
| Q3 2025 | $473.9M |
| Q2 2025 | $1.8B |
| Q1 2025 | $1.4B |
| Q4 2024 | $898.3M |
ACN spent $7.5B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 63% from the year before.
MSFT Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.1% | -7M shares |
| 1 year | -0.3% | -20M shares |
| 3 years | -0.2% | -16M shares |
| 5 years | -1.6% | -121M shares |
| Available history | -3.2% | -245M shares |
MSFT has 7.4B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $4.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q1 2026 | $4.6B |
| Q4 2025 | $7.4B |
| Q3 2025 | $5.7B |
| Q2 2025 | $4.5B |
| Q1 2025 | $4.8B |
| Q4 2024 | $5B |
MSFT spent $21B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 5.2% from the year before.
ACN Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
ACN has the edge over MSFT on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MSFT Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
MSFT's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
ACN Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 67.6 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 88.9 | Overbought |
ACN's weekly RSI is 68 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 89 (overbought).
MSFT Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 68.0 | Neutral |
MSFT's weekly RSI is 62 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 68 (neutral).
ACN PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | ACN | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 18x | 28x | 34% below |
| PE % | 10 | 35 | 25 pts below |
ACN has the edge over MSFT on valuation relative to its sector.
MSFT PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | MSFT | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 27x | 28x | 2% below |
| PE % | 16 | 35 | 19 pts below |
MSFT is trading at 27x earnings, in line with the Technology sector's median of 28x.
ACN Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $229.0 | 9.2% above |
| 20 week MA | $192.0 | 30% above |
| 50 week MA | $204.9 | 22% above |
| 100 week MA | $250.4 | 0.2% below |
| 200 week MA | $285.4 | 12% below |
ACN has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 12% below its 200-week average.
MSFT Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $524.7 | 0.3% below |
| 20 week MA | $484.8 | 7.9% above |
| 50 week MA | $446.9 | 17% above |
| 100 week MA | $453.8 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $411.5 | 27% above |
MSFT has the edge over ACN on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
ACN Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $212.2 | $257.3 | +21% |
| 2021 | $257.3 | $403.3 | +57% |
| 2022 | $403.3 | $266.1 | -34% |
| 2023 | $266.1 | $350.9 | +32% |
| 2024 | $350.9 | $356.2 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | $356.2 | $271.1 | -24% |
| 2026 YTD | $271.1 | $250.0 | -7.8% |
ACN has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's down 7.8% so far in 2026.
MSFT Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $159.0 | $222.8 | +40% |
| 2021 | $222.8 | $334.7 | +50% |
| 2022 | $334.7 | $238.7 | -29% |
| 2023 | $238.7 | $376.0 | +58% |
| 2024 | $376.0 | $430.5 | +14% |
| 2025 | $430.5 | $487.7 | +13% |
| 2026 YTD | $487.7 | $523.0 | +7.2% |
MSFT has the edge over ACN on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.