ACN vs. MSFT: Accenture vs. Microsoft Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Profile Item	ACN	MSFT
Name	Accenture plc	Microsoft Corporation Common Stock
Country/Region	Ireland	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	IT Services	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	IT Consulting & Other Services	Systems Software
Market Capitalization	153.89 billion USD	3,940.41 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	July 19, 2001	March 13, 1986
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ACN

MSFT

GSPC

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT), 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 Microsoft (MSFT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
Total Return (1Y)	7.87%	10.30%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-4.56%	15.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.20%	11.01%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ACN

MSFT

GSPC

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT), 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 Microsoft (MSFT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	50.02%	33.91%
Beta (5Y)	1.00	1.03
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-68.17%	-37.15%
Avg. Volume (3M)	6.18M	22.95M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ACN and MSFT 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 Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.07	0.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.10	0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 26.03% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 34.22% 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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

34.22%

Max: 53.85%
MSFT: 34.22%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 41.17% 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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

41.17%

MSFT: 41.17%
Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Microsoft (MSFT) at 49.76% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Accenture (ACN) at 17.83% also operates in the top quartile.

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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

49.76%

MSFT: 49.76%
Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
ROE (TTM)	26.03%	34.22%
ROA (TTM)	10.95%	14.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.28%	41.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.83%	49.76%
Gross Margin (TTM)	32.05%	67.66%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Microsoft (MSFT) at 17.79% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both Accenture (ACN) at 11.60% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 31.60% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.47%	17.79%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.98%	16.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)	11.60%	31.60%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.98%	22.86%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 1.43 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 1.23 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

1.23

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
MSFT: 1.23
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 0.40 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.28 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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

0.28

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
MSFT: 0.28
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): 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 Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.43	1.23
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.40	0.28
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.04	0.34

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 2.49% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 0.69% 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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

0.69%

MSFT: 0.69%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 48.08% and Microsoft (MSFT) at 19.00% 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%

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

19.00%

MSFT: 19.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.49%	0.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	48.08%	19.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Accenture (ACN) at 19.21 and Microsoft (MSFT) at 27.69 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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

27.69

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
MSFT: 27.69
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Accenture (ACN) at 2.07 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Microsoft (MSFT) at 11.37 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

11.37

Max: 17.91
MSFT: 11.37
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): 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 Microsoft (MSFT) at 8.38 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

MSFT

Software & Services industry group

8.38

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
MSFT: 8.38
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

Accenture (ACN) vs. Microsoft (MSFT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Accenture (ACN) and Microsoft (MSFT)
Metric	ACN	MSFT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	19.21	27.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.07	11.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.91	8.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	6.94%	0.08%