Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO), General Electric Company (GE): Accenture Plc (ACN) Earnings: An Early Look

Earnings season is just about over, with almost all companies already having reported their quarterly results. But there are still a few companies left to report, and Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) is about to release its quarterly earnings report. The key to making smart investment decisions with stocks releasing their quarter reports is to anticipate how they’ll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you’ll be less likely to make an uninformed, kneejerk reaction that turns out to be exactly the wrong response to the news

Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) emerged from the Arthur Andersen scandal relatively unscathed and has remained a giant in the consulting industry. But given the massive rush toward high-margin consulting services in a number of key sectors, especially technology, Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) faces more competition than ever before. Let’s take an early look at what’s been happening with Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) over the past quarter and what we’re likely to see in its quarterly report on Thursday.

Stats on Accenture

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Accenture accentuate the positive this quarter?
Analysts have barely budged on their views on Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) in recent months, keeping their estimates on the just-completed quarter stable while trimming $0.02 per share off their full-year fiscal 2013 calls. The stock has done reasonably well lately, though, rising about 10% since late December.

Accenture is a predominant firm in the global consultancy industry. Its strong reputation for highly driven employees and a competitive spirit have helped it survive and adapt to vastly changing economic conditions in the industry over the years. The company has also done a good job of sharing its returns with shareholders while still keeping employees motivated and working hard.