BARGAIN GROWTH: Accenture
Market Cap: $19.2 billion
PEG ratio: 0.99
Earnings Growth: 12%
Debt/equity ratio:
The cash-laden, debt-free consulting firm remains attractive despite the fact that demand for its services has declined as the recession deepens. Credit Suisse analyst Bryan Keane recently applauded Accenture's ability to sustain pricing, as well as its high free cash flow and low price to earnings ratio (the company is currently trading at 11 times trailing earnings, compared with an industry average of 14).
"With Accenture, you get better than average visibility because of its backlog," says Todd Ahlsten, manager of the Parnassus Equity Income Fund. "Their bookings have remained fairly strong, and they're part of a long-term secular growth trend -- solving other people's problems."
--M.K.
NEXT: BARGAIN GROWTH: Chubb
-
Abbott -
Coca-Cola -
General M... -
J&J -
P&G -
Waste Man... -
McDonald's -
FPL -
Accenture -
Chubb -
Cisco -
Microsoft -
Walgreen -
Gilead -
Mastercard -
Thermo Fi... -
Baker Hug... -
Becton Di... -
Bristol-M... -
Carlisle -
Noble -
Regal Bel... -
Valmont -
W.W. Grai... -
Aaon -
Exponent -
Lincoln E... -
Merit Med... -
Neogen -
NutriSystem -
Sykes -
Tessera -
BHP Billi... -
Diageo -
Petrobras -
Philips -
Potash -
Teva -
Total -
Unilever
Last updated June 11 2009: 10:27 AM ET
Criteria include PEG ratios (price/earnings ratio divided by earnings growth) below S&P 500's PEG rati of 2.09, long-term earnings growth equal to 7% or more, and a debt-to-equity ratio below 0.33. All data related to stock price as of June 1, 2009. Earnings growth based on Wall Street estimates for the next three to five years.
