Accenture

Management consistently returns capital while investing for growth.

In FY2025, Accenture returned 8.3 billion dollars to shareholders (4.6 billion dollars in buybacks and 3.7 billion dollars in dividends) and increased the quarterly dividend to 1.63 dollars payable November 14, 2025. It also executed approximately 23 acquisitions (~1.5 billion dollars) and continued targeted venture investments in AI startups (e.g., Opaque, Snorkel, YearOne, CLIKA) to enhance capabilities.

We view the M&A program as disciplined and capability-focused, though frequent acquisitions require integration rigor. Share-based compensation is present but offset by buybacks, with total shares outstanding around 622 million at year-end. Overall, capital allocation is shareholder-friendly and balanced.