Operating Expenses
Stock-based compensation expense
Accenture Stock-based compensation expense decreased by 37.9% to $289.46M in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 37.6%, from $210.29M to $289.46M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Stock-based compensation expense shows an upward trend with a 6.2% CAGR. This increase may warrant attention — for this metric, lower values are generally preferred.
Analysis
StatementIncome Statement
SectionOperating Expenses
CategoryEfficiency
SignalLower is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ1 2014
Last reportedQ2 2026Mar 19, 2026
How to read this metric
Rising expenses may indicate increased reliance on equity incentives or higher valuation of awards, impacting reported operating margins.
Detailed definition
This metric measures the total expense recognized in the income statement for share-based payment awards granted to empl...
Peer comparison
Standard operating expense item for public companies with equity incentive programs.
Metric ID:
cat_stock_based_compensation_expenseHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | Q2 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $392.48M | $126.21M | $409.13M | $292.75M | $497.97M | $149.21M | $465.71M | $341.91M | $537.02M | $156.43M | $477.43M | $285.37M | $504.52M | $150.81M | $477.37M | $210.29M | $509.99M | $156.11M | $466.20M | $289.46M |
| QoQ Change | — | -67.8% | +224.2% | -28.4% | +70.1% | -70.0% | +212.1% | -26.6% | +57.1% | -70.9% | +205.2% | -40.2% | +76.8% | -70.1% | +216.5% | -55.9% | +142.5% | -69.4% | +198.6% | -37.9% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +26.9% | +18.2% | +13.8% | +16.8% | +7.8% | +4.8% | +2.5% | -16.5% | -6.1% | -3.6% | -0.0% | -26.3% | +1.1% | +3.5% | -2.3% | +37.6% |
Range$126.21M – $537.02M
CAGR-6.2%
Avg YoY Growth+4.9%
Median YoY Growth+3.0%
Stock-based compensation expense at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Accenture's stock-based compensation expense?
- Accenture (ACN) reported stock-based compensation expense of $289.46M in Q4 2025.
- How has Accenture's stock-based compensation expense changed year-over-year?
- Accenture's stock-based compensation expense increased by 37.6% year-over-year, from $210.29M to $289.46M.
- What is the long-term trend for Accenture's stock-based compensation expense?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Accenture's stock-based compensation expense has grown at a 6.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.07B to $1.35B.
- What does stock-based compensation expense mean?
- The total expense recorded for employee stock awards.