Analysis of Short-term (Operating) Activity Ratios
Quarterly Data
Activity ratios measure how efficiently a company performs day-to-day tasks, such us the collection of receivables and management of inventory.
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Short-term Activity Ratios (Summary)
Accenture PLC, short-term (operating) activity ratios (quarterly data)
Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2025-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-02-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-11-30).
- Payables Turnover
- The payables turnover ratio displayed a general decline from late 2020 to mid-2021, decreasing from 20.16 to around 15.03. Following this period, the ratio fluctuated moderately, mostly staying between 16 and 18, with occasional outliers reaching nearly 19.5 in early 2024. Towards the most recent quarters, the ratio stabilized around 17.4 to 17.6, suggesting steady management of payables relative to cost of goods sold or purchases over time.
- Working Capital Turnover
- This ratio showed notable variation over the observed periods. It started at 7.7 in late 2020, increased substantially to a peak of 34.49 by mid-2024, indicating a much higher efficiency in using working capital to generate sales. However, this peak was followed by a significant decrease to values just above 8 in the later quarters of 2024 and 2025, nearing the initial level seen at the beginning of the dataset. This volatility may reflect changes in working capital management or fluctuations in operational scale.
- Average Payables Payment Period
- The average payables payment period generally remained stable, fluctuating between 18 and 24 days, with most quarters hovering around 20 to 22 days. There was a slight increase during mid-2021, reaching 24 days, followed by a return to about 21 days in subsequent periods. Small declines to 19 days were noted in early 2024, but the period settled back in the 21-day range thereafter. This steadiness indicates consistent payment behavior to suppliers over time.
Turnover Ratios
Average No. Days
Payables Turnover
Accenture PLC, payables turnover calculation (quarterly data)
| Aug 31, 2025 | May 31, 2025 | Feb 28, 2025 | Nov 30, 2024 | Aug 31, 2024 | May 31, 2024 | Feb 29, 2024 | Nov 30, 2023 | Aug 31, 2023 | May 31, 2023 | Feb 28, 2023 | Nov 30, 2022 | Aug 31, 2022 | May 31, 2022 | Feb 28, 2022 | Nov 30, 2021 | Aug 31, 2021 | May 31, 2021 | Feb 28, 2021 | Nov 30, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Financial Data (US$ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounts payable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short-term Activity Ratio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payables turnover1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Benchmarks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payables Turnover, Competitors2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adobe Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AppLovin Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Datadog Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Business Machines Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intuit Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oracle Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palantir Technologies Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ServiceNow Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Workday Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2025-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-02-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-11-30).
1 Q4 2025 Calculation
Payables turnover
= (Cost of servicesQ4 2025
+ Cost of servicesQ3 2025
+ Cost of servicesQ2 2025
+ Cost of servicesQ1 2025)
÷ Accounts payable
= ( + + + )
÷ =
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
- Cost of Services
- The cost of services consistently increased over the observed periods, starting from approximately $7.86 billion and reaching over $11.98 billion by the latest quarter. This upward trend indicates a growing scale of operations or rising costs associated with service delivery. Despite minor fluctuations, particularly around the mid periods where slight decreases occurred, the overall trajectory is upward, suggesting expanding business activity or inflationary pressures on service costs.
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts payable exhibited a general upward trend from around $1.51 billion to approximately $2.70 billion in the latest period. The trend reflects an increase in the company's outstanding obligations to suppliers or vendors. The data also shows moderate volatility with some declines in accounts payable between certain quarters, but these were corrected in subsequent periods with increases. The significant jump observed in the middle periods indicates possible changes in payment terms or higher procurement.
- Payables Turnover Ratio
- The payables turnover ratio fluctuated within a range of approximately 15.03 to 20.16 over the time span. Initially, it declined from above 20 down to around 15 but later recovered toward the 17-19 range. Such variability points to changing efficiency in managing accounts payable — a higher ratio indicating faster payments to suppliers and a lower ratio suggesting slower payments. The general stabilization around 17 to 18 in the later periods suggests a normalization of payables management practices after some variability.
- Overall Insights
- The simultaneous increase in cost of services and accounts payable indicates scaling operations with rising procurement or service expenses. The fluctuations in the payables turnover ratio suggest that while the company experienced some variability in payment practices, it tended to stabilize in managing supplier payments after initial fluctuations. The data points to an expanding business environment with controlled but varying supplier payment efficiency.
Working Capital Turnover
Accenture PLC, working capital turnover calculation (quarterly data)
| Aug 31, 2025 | May 31, 2025 | Feb 28, 2025 | Nov 30, 2024 | Aug 31, 2024 | May 31, 2024 | Feb 29, 2024 | Nov 30, 2023 | Aug 31, 2023 | May 31, 2023 | Feb 28, 2023 | Nov 30, 2022 | Aug 31, 2022 | May 31, 2022 | Feb 28, 2022 | Nov 30, 2021 | Aug 31, 2021 | May 31, 2021 | Feb 28, 2021 | Nov 30, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Financial Data (US$ in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current assets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Less: Current liabilities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Working capital | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short-term Activity Ratio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Working capital turnover1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Benchmarks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Working Capital Turnover, Competitors2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adobe Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AppLovin Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cadence Design Systems Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Datadog Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Business Machines Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intuit Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oracle Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palantir Technologies Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salesforce Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ServiceNow Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synopsys Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Workday Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2025-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-02-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-11-30).
1 Q4 2025 Calculation
Working capital turnover
= (RevenuesQ4 2025
+ RevenuesQ3 2025
+ RevenuesQ2 2025
+ RevenuesQ1 2025)
÷ Working capital
= ( + + + )
÷ =
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
- Working Capital
- The working capital demonstrates notable fluctuations over the analyzed periods. Initially, it decreased from approximately 5.81 billion USD at the end of November 2020 to around 3.39 billion USD by November 2021, indicating a contraction in short-term liquidity during this timeframe. Subsequently, it partially recovered, reaching about 6.29 billion USD by May 2023. However, this was followed by another decline to roughly 1.88 billion USD by August 2024. Interestingly, at the end of November 2024 and into early 2025, working capital surged sharply, peaking at over 8.64 billion USD by May 2025 before slightly retracting to approximately 8.55 billion USD in August 2025. This pattern suggests periods of varying liquidity management or operational cycles influencing short-term assets and liabilities.
- Revenues
- Revenues have generally exhibited an upward trend over the reviewed quarters, with some moderate fluctuations. Starting at about 11.76 billion USD in November 2020, revenues increased steadily, reaching peaks above 17.6 billion USD in May 2025. Despite occasional dips, such as between August 2022 and February 2024, the overall trajectory remains positive, indicating consistent growth in sales or service income over the longer term. This steady revenue increase points to expanding business operations or improved market positioning over the period.
- Working Capital Turnover Ratio
- The working capital turnover ratio displays considerable variability throughout the periods. A significant rise occurred between August 2021 and November 2021, climbing from approximately 12.77 to 15.85, followed by sustained elevated levels around 13 to 15 in subsequent quarters. A pronounced spike is observed in the first half of 2024, reaching an exceptionally high ratio of 34.49 in May 2024, indicating highly efficient utilization of working capital during that time. However, this was followed by a sharp decline to values around 8 in late 2024 and 2025. These fluctuations imply shifts in how effectively working capital was utilized to generate revenues, with periods of both heightened and reduced efficiency. The unusually high turnover in early 2024 coupled with low working capital values suggests optimized or constrained working capital usage during that window.
- Overall Observations
- The company's financial dynamics reveal a pattern of significant liquidity shifts alongside steady revenue growth. The inverse relation between working capital and turnover ratio at times implies strategic working capital management to maximize revenue generation efficiency. The large swings in working capital towards late 2024 and 2025 might reflect operational changes, investment cycles, or accounting timing effects. Despite these fluctuations in working capital, the upward revenue trend demonstrates resilience and potential growth momentum. Monitoring the sustainability of working capital management efficiency remains important given the observed volatility.
Average Payables Payment Period
Accenture PLC, average payables payment period calculation (quarterly data)
| Aug 31, 2025 | May 31, 2025 | Feb 28, 2025 | Nov 30, 2024 | Aug 31, 2024 | May 31, 2024 | Feb 29, 2024 | Nov 30, 2023 | Aug 31, 2023 | May 31, 2023 | Feb 28, 2023 | Nov 30, 2022 | Aug 31, 2022 | May 31, 2022 | Feb 28, 2022 | Nov 30, 2021 | Aug 31, 2021 | May 31, 2021 | Feb 28, 2021 | Nov 30, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected Financial Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payables turnover | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short-term Activity Ratio (no. days) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average payables payment period1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Benchmarks (no. days) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average Payables Payment Period, Competitors2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adobe Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AppLovin Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Datadog Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International Business Machines Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intuit Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oracle Corp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palantir Technologies Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ServiceNow Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Workday Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2025-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-02-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-11-30).
1 Q4 2025 Calculation
Average payables payment period = 365 ÷ Payables turnover
= 365 ÷ =
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
- Payables Turnover Ratio
- The payables turnover ratio shows a general declining trend from November 2020 through August 2021, dropping from 20.16 to 15.03. Following this low point, the ratio exhibits some fluctuations but remains relatively stable around the mid-to-high teens, peaking at 19.54 in February 2024. The ratio then fluctuates without a clear upward or downward trend, generally holding between approximately 15.9 and 19.5 for the remainder of the periods analyzed.
- Average Payables Payment Period
- The average payables payment period tends to move inversely with the payables turnover ratio, starting at 18 days in November 2020 and gradually increasing to a peak of 24 days by August 2021. After this peak, the payment period stabilizes mostly between 19 and 23 days with minor fluctuations. The period briefly shortens to 19 days in February and May 2024 but returns to around 21 days for most subsequent periods, indicating relatively consistent payment behavior during the latter periods.
- Observations and Insights
- The initial decline in the payables turnover ratio coupled with an increase in the payment period during 2021 suggests that the company was taking longer to settle its payables during that time. After mid-2021, the stabilization of both metrics implies a more consistent approach to supplier payments. The fluctuations in the payables turnover ratio, especially the peak in early 2024, may reflect operational or supplier relationship changes but revert to a stable pattern thereafter. Overall, the company appears to manage its payables within a narrow range of days for payment, indicating relatively steady working capital management with slight short-term adjustments.