ACN vs CTSH: Accenture and Cognizant Technology Solutions compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Accenture is the larger company, worth $136.1B, about 4.7 times Cognizant Technology Solutions.
- Cognizant Technology Solutions grew revenue faster over the last year (+5.8% vs +5.6%).
- Cognizant Technology Solutions keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (15.8% vs 14.5%).
- On earnings, Cognizant Technology Solutions is the cheaper stock (13.2x vs 16.7x).
- Accenture's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about -1% a year, against -3% for Cognizant Technology Solutions (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | ACN | CTSH |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $136.1B | $28.7B |
| Share price | $209.06 | $59.20 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $69.7B | $21.1B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $10.9B | $2.6B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +5.6% | +5.8% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +8.4% | +3.3% |
| Operating margin | 14.5% | 15.8% |
| Net margin | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| Return on equity | 24.4% | 14.8% |
| P/E (trailing) | 16.7x | 13.2x |
| Price / free cash flow | 12.5x | 11.1x |
| EV / EBITDA | 10.6x | 7.49x |
| FCF growth the price implies | -1.2% | -2.8% |
| Dividend yield | 3.0% | 2.2% |
| Debt / equity | 1.12x | 0.36x |
| Fundamental grade | C | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 0 | 6 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 6 | 10 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Accenture
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $50.5B | $8.4B | 15.1% |
| 2022 | $61.6B | $8.8B | 15.2% |
| 2023 | $64.1B | $9.0B | 13.7% |
| 2024 | $64.9B | $8.6B | 14.8% |
| 2025 | $69.7B | $10.9B | 14.7% |
Cognizant Technology Solutions
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $18.5B | $2.2B | 15.3% |
| 2022 | $19.4B | $2.2B | 15.3% |
| 2023 | $19.4B | $2.0B | 13.9% |
| 2024 | $19.7B | $1.8B | 14.7% |
| 2025 | $21.1B | $2.6B | 16.1% |
Where the revenue comes from
Accenture · by products, 2025
Consulting Revenue$35.1B50%
Managed Services$34.6B50%
Cognizant Technology Solutions · by segments, 2025
Health Sciences$6.3B30%
Financial Services$6.2B29%
Products and Resources$5.3B25%
Communications, Media and Technology$3.3B16%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open ACN in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Accenture or Cognizant Technology Solutions?
Accenture (ACN), at $136.1B against $28.7B.
Is ACN or CTSH cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Cognizant Technology Solutions (13.2x) is cheaper than Accenture (16.7x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, ACN or CTSH?
Cognizant Technology Solutions: revenue grew +5.8% over the last year, against +5.6%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.