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ACN vs. CRM: Accenture vs. Salesforce Stock Comparison

How do Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM) 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 Salesforce (CRM) both fall under the Software & Services industry group, but ACN is classified in IT Services while CRM is classified in Software.

Company profile comparison for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
Profile ItemACNCRM
NameAccenture plcSalesforce, Inc.
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 USD175.83 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJuly 19, 2001June 23, 2004
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ACN
CRM
GSPC
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM), 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

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Trailing total returns for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
Total Return (1Y)7.87%-9.04%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-4.56%1.64%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-5.20%-6.57%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ACN
CRM
GSPC
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM), 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

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)50.02%47.53%
Beta (5Y)1.001.24
Max Drawdown (5Y)-68.17%-58.67%
Avg. Volume (3M)6.18M11.36M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ACN and CRM 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 Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.07-0.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.10-0.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 26.03% and Salesforce (CRM) at 19.38% 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%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

19.38%

Max
53.85%
CRM
19.38%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Salesforce (CRM) at 21.99% 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%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

21.99%

Max
41.17%
CRM
21.99%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 17.83% and Salesforce (CRM) at 21.38% 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%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

21.38%

Max
46.89%
CRM
21.38%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
ROE (TTM)26.03%19.38%
ROA (TTM)10.95%5.70%
Net Margin (TTM)11.28%21.99%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.83%21.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)32.05%77.28%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Salesforce (CRM) at 9.58% 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.

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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Accenture (ACN) at 11.60% and Salesforce (CRM) at 22.64% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
Revenue Growth (YoY)6.47%9.58%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.98%9.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)11.60%22.64%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.98%233.65%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Accenture (ACN) at 1.43 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Salesforce (CRM) at 0.84 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CRM.

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

CRM

Software & Services industry group

0.84

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
CRM
0.84
Min
0.03
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 0.40 and Salesforce (CRM) at 1.10 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

CRM

Software & Services industry group

1.10

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
CRM
1.10
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): 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 Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.430.84
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.401.10
Net Debt / EBITDA0.042.40

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 2.49% and Salesforce (CRM) at 0.77% 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%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

0.77%

CRM
0.77%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 48.08% and Salesforce (CRM) at 15.66% 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%

CRM

Software & Services industry group

15.66%

CRM
15.66%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.49%0.77%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)48.08%15.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 19.21 and Salesforce (CRM) at 19.55 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

CRM

Software & Services industry group

19.55

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
CRM
19.55
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): 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 Salesforce (CRM) at 4.00 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

CRM

Software & Services industry group

4.00

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
CRM
4.00
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Accenture (ACN) at 4.91 and Salesforce (CRM) at 4.58 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

CRM

Software & Services industry group

4.58

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
CRM
4.58
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90
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Accenture (ACN) vs. Salesforce (CRM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Salesforce (CRM)
MetricACNCRM
P/E Ratio (TTM)19.2119.55
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.074.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.914.58
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)6.94%10.08%