What to Expect from Accenture

Accenture (NYSE: ACN  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on Dec. 19. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Accenture's revenues will grow 3.0% and EPS will increase 8.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $7.29 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.04.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Accenture reported revenue of $6.84 billion. GAAP reported sales were 2.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $6.69 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.88. GAAP EPS of $0.55 for Q4 were 5.2% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.58 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 32.9%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.8%, 110 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.5%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $29.46 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.27.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,250 members out of 1,315 rating the stock outperform, and 65 members rating it underperform. Among 374 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 363 give Accenture a green thumbs-up, and 11 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Accenture is outperform, with an average price target of $65.93.

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