Is Accenture Stock Halal?
Table of Contents
How much of Accenture’s revenue comes from haram?
Accenture earns its revenue from the following revenue sources:
- Consulting:
Accenture provides strategy, management, and technology integration consulting services to businesses.
Accenture’s consulting services include using data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and innovation to assist its clients in solving a diverse set of business challenges, including identifying and developing new markets, optimizing cost structures, mitigating risk, and enhancing security.
- Outsourcing:
Accenture offers services to directly manage operations of client systems or business functions.
The contributions from each of Accenture’s revenue segments in their Q3 2021 report were as follows:
An area of concern for Practical Islamic Finance is revenue earned from Accenture’s consulting with businesses in the financial services industry which includes directly managing operations of financial companies and promoting riba-based products.
The contributions from each of Accenture’s industry groups to its total revenue is as follows:
Practical Islamic Finance concludes:
Since consulting and managing businesses in the financial services industry accounts for a material portion to Accenture’s overall revenue, Practical Islamic Finance concludes that a material part of Accenture revenue comes from haram.
Does Accenture rely on interest to operate?
For the Trailing Twelve Months as of May 31, 2021 (Numbers in thousands, U.S. Dollars):
Interest Income: $31,498
Total Revenue: $47,949,376
Interest Expense: $60,584
Total Expenses: $40,741,833
Interest Income / Revenue: 0.07%
Interest Expense / Total Expense: 0.15%
Practical Islamic Finance concludes:
Riba is used but not relied upon in Accenture’s operations.
What is Accenture’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) impact?
Environment
Accenture increased its use of renewable electricity to 30% in fiscal 2020, from 26% in fiscal 2019.
Social
Accenture has an impressively high Glassdoor rating of 4.0 out of 5.0 from over 89,000 current and previous employees compared to a 3.3 average for all other Glassdoor rated companies.
Governance
No notable governance highlights.
Practical Islamic Finance concludes:
Accenture has a net positive ESG impact.
Comfort Rating
From Accenture’s business, financial, and ESG reviews, Practical Islamic Finance rates Accenture stock as:
Uncomfortable to invest in from a Halal perspective.
Justification
While we generally don’t hold companies responsible for who buys their products, consulting is different. A consultants job includes managing, identifying inefficiencies and accelerating the growth of client companies. Therefore in order to feel comfortable investing in a consultancy we have to feel comfortable with the consultancy’s clients.
Nearly 20% of Accenture’s revenue comes from services rendered to companies in the financial services industry which are likely involved in selling and promoting riba-based products. We do not feel comfortable with this revenue and consequently we feel uncomfortable investing in Accenture.