Looking back on it services & consulting stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and its peers.

IT Services & Consulting companies stand to benefit from increasing enterprise demand for digital transformation, AI-driven automation, and cybersecurity resilience. Many enterprises can't attack these topics alone and need IT services and consulting on everything from technical advice to implementation. Challenges in meeting these needs will include finding talent in specialized and evolving IT fields. While AI and automation can enhance productivity, they also threaten to commoditize certain consulting functions. Another ongoing challenge will be pricing pressures from offshore IT service providers, which have lower labor costs and increasingly equal access to advanced technology like AI.

The 8 it services & consulting stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.6% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 25% since the latest earnings results.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN)

With a workforce of approximately 774,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is a professional services firm that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology, operations, and digital services.

Accenture reported revenues of $18.74 billion, up 6% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 28.5% since reporting and currently trades at $195.65.

Is now the time to buy Accenture? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Gartner (NYSE: IT)

With over 2,500 research experts guiding organizations through complex technology landscapes, Gartner (NYSE: IT) provides research, advisory services, and conferences that help executives make better decisions about technology and other business priorities.

Gartner reported revenues of $1.75 billion, up 2.2% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had a very strong quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 21.9% since reporting. It currently trades at $158.03.

Is now the time to buy Gartner? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Kyndryl (NYSE: KD)

Born from IBM's managed infrastructure services business in a 2021 spinoff, Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) is the world's largest IT infrastructure services provider that designs, builds, and manages technology environments for enterprise customers.

Kyndryl reported revenues of $3.86 billion, up 3.1% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Kyndryl delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 47.2% since the results and currently trades at $12.40.

Read our full analysis of Kyndryl’s results here.

IBM (NYSE: IBM)

With a corporate history spanning over a century and once known for its iconic mainframe computers, IBM (NYSE: IBM) provides hybrid cloud computing platforms, AI solutions, consulting services, and enterprise infrastructure to help businesses modernize their operations.

IBM reported revenues of $19.69 billion, up 12.1% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 2.5%. It was a very strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

IBM scored the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The stock is down 14.7% since reporting and currently trades at $250.85.

Read our full, actionable report on IBM here, it’s free.

DXC (NYSE: DXC)

Born from the 2017 merger of Computer Sciences Corporation and HP Enterprise's services business, DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) is a global IT services company that helps businesses transform their technology infrastructure, applications, and operations.

DXC reported revenues of $3.19 billion, flat year on year. This result was in line with analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates.

DXC had the slowest revenue growth and weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is down 19% since reporting and currently trades at $11.68.

Read our full, actionable report on DXC here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

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