ACN vs XLK Stock Comparison
Compare ACN and XLK across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.
What is the main difference between ACN and XLK?
ACN leads the current stock comparison as Accenture plc, with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Accenture plc vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF
ACN leads
ACN leads by 2 AIQ points, primarily on Value, but the lead has narrowed from 8 points over 30 sessions.
Fragile: 1 of 4 evidence groups support ACN, and its lead is narrowing.
Accenture plc
State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors ACN over XLK, 61 versus 59 as of Sep 11, 2026. ACN's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value, while XLK holds the stronger momentum profile. ACN also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor ACN today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. ACN lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 2 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Accenture plc and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price-return comparison using available daily close history.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000
Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.
Compare ACN and XLK against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value72 vs 36ACN +36
- Momentum45 vs 65XLK +20
- Quality65 vs 74XLK +9
- Risk Resilience55 vs 62XLK +7
1 of 4 evidence groups favor ACN. ACN’s edge is concentrated in value; XLK keeps a meaningful momentum edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.
Largest factor move: Momentum +3
No new signals fired.
Largest factor move: Momentum -5
No new signals fired.
ACN's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — ACN and XLK both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
ACN (Accenture plc): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value.
XLK (State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF): the counter-case, on momentum, quality, risk resilience.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
ACNACN on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
EvenGrowth figures are not covered for both names.
Value
ACNACN on the peer-relative Value factor, by 36 points.
Momentum
XLKXLK on the Momentum factor, by 20 points.
Lower downside
XLKXLK on Risk Resilience, by 7 points.
Analyst upside
EvenAnalyst targets are level or not covered for both names.
AIQ vs Wall Street
Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.
| Measure | ACN | XLK | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +6% | — | Level |
| Target dispersion | +74.4% | — | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | — | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 17 | — | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
1 of 4 covered evidence groups favor ACN. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 61 vs 59 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | ACN | Value 72 vs 36 |
| Technicals | XLK | Price vs 50-day 11.6% vs 2.7%; vs 200-day -11.9% vs 15% |
| Risk Resilience | XLK | Risk Resilience 55 vs 62 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of ACN and XLK and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 1 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Signal direction runs against the verdict: the leader is net-bearish while the laggard is net-bullish. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on ACN.
How the comparison changed
119 daily snapshots · May 4 – Sep 10ACN lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 2 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- ACN +2
- 61 vs 59
- 7 sessions ago
- ACN +11
- 67 vs 56
- 30 sessions ago
- ACN +8
- 67 vs 59
- 90 sessions ago
- ACN +13
- 56 vs 43
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (22.55%)
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.77%)
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
4 bullish / 0 bearish
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (13.41%)
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +3.37%, AIQ +1 points).
Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +1.32%, AIQ -1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1XLK closes the Value gap — currently 36 points behind, the largest single contributor to ACN's edge.
- 2XLK's existing bullish trend signals translate into factor-score gains — the rules are already firing, but the scores have not yet followed.
- 3ACN starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 6 points over 30 sessions, and a further 2-point move would eliminate ACN's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
Split| Metric | ACN | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 3.7% | — |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 29.1% | — |
| Gross margin | 32% | — |
| Operating margin | 14.9% | — |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 25% | — |
| Debt to equity | 0.26 | — |
Performance
XLK leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | ACN | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -5.2% | 0.9% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1.2% | -1.9% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -11.7% | 31.9% |
| Year to date | -33.7% | 28.7% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -30.4% | 39.9% |
Technicals
XLK has the stronger structure| Metric | ACN | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 46.3 | 54.1 |
| ADX (14) | 20.1 | 10.4 |
| Price vs 50-day | 11.6% | 2.7% |
| Price vs 200-day | -11.9% | 15% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 40.6% | 20.6% |
Risk
XLK is the more resilient| Metric | ACN | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.3 | 1.75 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.65 | 1.25 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.83 | 1.94 |
| Max drawdown | -56.9% | -16.1% |
| Current drawdown | -38.3% | -6.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 44.5% | 26.4% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -4.2% | -2.6% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, ACN or XLK?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, ACN is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 61 against XLK's 59. The edge comes from value. XLK is not without a case — it holds the better momentum profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is ACN or XLK the better buy right now?
ACN carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 1 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor ACN over XLK?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. ACN leads Value by 36 points; XLK leads Momentum by 20 points; XLK leads Quality by 9 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, ACN or XLK?
Analyst price targets imply +6% upside for ACN and not covered for XLK. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, ACN or XLK?
ACN is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. ACN on the peer-relative Value factor, by 36 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, ACN or XLK?
Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, ACN or XLK?
XLK on the Momentum factor, by 20 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, ACN or XLK?
XLK is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. XLK on Risk Resilience, by 7 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is ACN more profitable than XLK?
Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.
Is ACN's lead over XLK getting stronger or weaker?
ACN lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 8 to 2 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has not changed hands in that window.
What would change the ACN vs XLK verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: XLK closes the Value gap — currently 36 points behind, the largest single contributor to ACN's edge; XLK's existing bullish trend signals translate into factor-score gains — the rules are already firing, but the scores have not yet followed; ACN starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 6 points over 30 sessions, and a further 2-point move would eliminate ACN's advantage entirely.
What do the current signals say about ACN and XLK?
ACN: 0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral. XLK: 4 bullish / 0 bearish. The most decision-relevant rule on ACN is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On XLK it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.