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Accenture Hits 52-Week High on Acquisitions & Partnerships

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Shares of Accenture Plc (ACN - Free Report) rallied to a 52-week high of $151.14 yesterday, eventually closing a bit lower at $150.69. Notably, the stock has returned 28.7% year to date, outperforming its industry’s gain of 25.4%.

The rally can be attributed to the company’s sustained focus on expanding its product portfolio through acquisitions and partnerships.
 
Accenture pursues strategic acquisitions to diversify its offerings and expand operating markets. The company closed 37 acquisition deals worth approximately $1.7 billion in fiscal 2017. Also, over the last three fiscals, Accenture has invested approximately $3.4 billion in acquiring nearly 70 companies including start-ups. These acquisitions have helped the company enhance its product offerings and penetrate into newer markets, thereby contributing to the company’s top line.

Furthermore, Accenture’s strategic partnerships with companies like Google, Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) , Oracle (ORCL - Free Report) and Salesforce (CRM - Free Report) have contributed significantly toward its revenue stream.  Recently, the company entered into a partnership with Apple. The two companies have collaborated to develop tools and services for building iOS apps per the requirements of Accenture’s clients across different industries.

We believe that these partnerships have helped Accenture in enhancing its capabilities across various business segments, such as IT security, CRM capabilities and strategy consulting, and bring in additional revenues.

The company’s solid track record of positive earnings surprises also boosts investors’ confidence. The stock has surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in seven consecutive quarters.

Currently, Accenture holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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