BUZZ-IT consulting firms lead software shares higher after Accenture results

** Shares of US software stocks advance premarket after IT consulting firm Accenture ACN.N forecast FY revenue growth above estimates

** ACN stock jumps 17.8% to $216.5 premarket

** IT consulting firms rise: Cognizant Technology Solutions CTSH.O up 7.3% and International Business Machines IBM.N up 5.8%

** US-listed shares of Indian IT firms Wipro WIT.N and Infosys INFY.N jump 10.3% and 7.3%

** Broader software stocks jump: software provider EPAM Systems EPAM.N up 7%, business software provider Salesforce CRM.N up 3.6%, enterprise software maker ServiceNow NOW.N up 3.8% and software maker Atlassian TEAM.O up 3.7%

** Windows-maker Microsoft MSFT.O up 1.2%, tax software company Intuit INTU.O up 3.3%, HR software company Workday WDAY.O up 2.4% and Photoshop maker Adobe ADBE.O up 2.3%

** The broader iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF IGV.Z climbs 1.3%

** Accenture shares set to open at highest in over six-months, if gains hold

** As of last close, the S&P 500 Software and Services index .SPLRCIS up 1% YTD after falling as much as 26.8% earlier this year

(Reporting by Darshan Kumar in Bengaluru)

((darshan.kumar@thomsonreuters.com))