On this episode of Stock Movers: 

- Accenture shares tumbled after the consultancy said its US government work has slowed amid Elon Musk’s cost-cutting push. The company, with nearly 800,000 employees around the world, said new procurement actions had decreased amid President Donald Trump’s spending crackdown, hurting its sales and revenue. Accenture Chief Executive Officer Julie Sweet said on a call discussing earnings that federal services accounted for about 8% of its global revenue and about 16% of its Americas revenue in the 2024 fiscal year. 

- Darden shares rise as much as 7.8%, the most intraday since Dec. 19, after management said on the conference call that it’s implied fourth-quarter guidance includes comparable sales growth above 3%, which is ahead of the consensus view of 2.3% growth. The annual forecasts also imply 4Q total sales of $3.23 billion to $3.26 billion, and adjusted EPS between $2.88 and $2.95; these compare to Bloomberg consensus estimates of $3.23 billion, and $2.93, respectively. 

- QXO has agreed to acquire Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. in a deal that values the distributor of roofing, waterproofing and exterior products at about $11 billion including debt. The agreement ends months of back-and-forth between the companies and avoids a full-blown hostile takeover battle. QXO will pay $124.35 per share in cash for Herndon, Virginia-based Beacon after a previous offer of $124.25 was rebuffed. The price represents about a 26% premium to Beacon’s closing price on Nov. 15, the last trading day before news of takeover interest first emerged.

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