Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) had its target price cut by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada from $295.00 to $253.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the information technology services provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 25.52% from the stock’s current price.
Several other research firms have also commented on ACN. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Argus lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.35.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACN
Accenture Stock Performance
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Accenture
In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total value of $289,024.20. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. This represents a 3.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last 90 days. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Accenture
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ACN. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,070,930 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $17,726,831,000 after acquiring an additional 854,361 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $7,583,462,000 after acquiring an additional 129,610 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,687,867,000 after purchasing an additional 343,420 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Accenture by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,656,436 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $3,922,212,000 after purchasing an additional 218,719 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Accenture by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,693,994 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,869,199,000 after purchasing an additional 546,198 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Accenture News
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat and record AI-driven bookings — Accenture reported fiscal Q2 results above expectations (EPS $2.93 vs. ~$2.84 consensus) and reported record bookings and accelerating AI/cloud demand, supporting revenue growth and proof of durable demand. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI & cloud partnerships bolster growth runway — New/expanded collaborations with Microsoft, Databricks and other partners (including MxDR cyber capabilities with Microsoft) position Accenture to capture enterprise AI transformation spending. Article Title Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Accenture declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share (ex-dividend April 9, payable May 15), supporting income-oriented investors and signaling cash-return discipline.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target resets — Robert W. Baird cut its target to $265 (still an Outperform) and TD Cowen trimmed its target, reflecting lower near-term multiples but continued conviction in medium-term fundamentals. Article Title Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance/near-term outlook disappointed — Management forecasted quarterly revenue below some analyst estimates and issued a cautious near?term outlook as clients show caution on large IT transformation projects, which triggered the sell-off despite the beat. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and AI-risk sentiment — Despite strong bookings and partnerships, investors remain wary after a large YTD share decline tied to AI disruption fears; several headlines note the stock fell on the mixed print and guidance miss, amplifying downside pressure. Article Title Article Title
About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.
The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.
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