Seek Returns

ACN vs. BSY: Accenture vs. Bentley Systems Stock Comparison

How do Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY) both fall under the Software & Services industry group, but ACN is classified in IT Services while BSY is classified in Software.

Accenture (ACN) has more than two decades of public-market history since July 19, 2001, whereas Bentley Systems (BSY) listed on September 23, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
Profile ItemACNBSY
NameAccenture plcBentley Systems, Incorporated Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionIrelandUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSoftware & ServicesSoftware & Services
GICS IndustryIT ServicesSoftware
GICS Sub-IndustryIT Consulting & Other ServicesApplication Software
Market Capitalization153.89 billion USD13.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJuly 19, 2001September 23, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ACN
BSY
GSPC
Loading price history…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
Total Return (1Y)7.87%-2.57%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-4.56%-3.01%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-5.20%-5.13%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ACN
BSY
GSPC
Loading price history…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)50.02%41.49%
Beta (5Y)1.000.92
Max Drawdown (5Y)-68.17%-53.94%
Avg. Volume (3M)6.18M2.67M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
ACN and BSY are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.07-0.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.10-0.25

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 26.03% and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 26.03% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

26.03%

Max
53.85%
ACN
26.03%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%

BSY

Software & Services industry group

26.03%

Max
53.85%
BSY
26.03%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Bentley Systems (BSY) at 19.57% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Accenture (ACN) at 11.28%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

11.28%

Max
41.17%
Q3
15.28%
ACN
11.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%

BSY

Software & Services industry group

19.57%

Max
41.17%
BSY
19.57%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 17.83% and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 29.81% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

17.83%

Max
46.89%
ACN
17.83%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%

BSY

Software & Services industry group

29.81%

Max
46.89%
BSY
29.81%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
ROE (TTM)26.03%26.03%
ROA (TTM)10.95%7.73%
Net Margin (TTM)11.28%19.57%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.83%29.81%
Gross Margin (TTM)32.05%82.37%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.99% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Accenture (ACN) at 6.47% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Accenture (ACN) at 11.60% and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 18.06% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
Revenue Growth (YoY)6.47%10.99%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.98%10.97%
EPS Growth (YoY)11.60%18.06%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.98%15.62%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Accenture (ACN) at 1.43 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.65 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for BSY.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

1.43

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
ACN
1.43
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.65

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
BSY
0.65
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 0.40 and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.94 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

0.40

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
Median
0.40
ACN
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.94

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
BSY
0.94
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.430.65
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.400.94
Net Debt / EBITDA0.042.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 2.49% and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.62% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

2.49%

ACN
2.49%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.62%

BSY
0.62%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 48.08% and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 27.72% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

48.08%

ACN
48.08%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

BSY

Software & Services industry group

27.72%

BSY
27.72%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.49%0.62%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)48.08%27.72%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 19.21 and Bentley Systems (BSY) at 44.21 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

19.21

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
ACN
19.21
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69

BSY

Software & Services industry group

44.21

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
BSY
44.21
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Accenture (ACN) at 2.07 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 8.19 prices around its industry’s middle — ACN costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

2.07

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
ACN
2.07
Min
0.02

BSY

Software & Services industry group

8.19

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
BSY
8.19
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Accenture (ACN) at 4.91 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.79 carries an above-peer premium to book — BSY is pricier on assets.

ACN

Software & Services industry group

4.91

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
ACN
4.91
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90

BSY

Software & Services industry group

10.79

Max
16.63
BSY
10.79
Q3
8.50
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90
Loading chart…
Accenture (ACN) vs. Bentley Systems (BSY): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Bentley Systems (BSY)
MetricACNBSY
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.2144.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.078.19
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.9110.79
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)6.94%2.74%