Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock Rating Reaffirmed as “Neutral” by Guggenheim

Accenture (NYSE:ACN)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reissued by equities researchers at Guggenheim in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ACN. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore set a $250.00 target price on shares of Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.30.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $212.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $179.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.46.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ACN. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $7,583,462,000 after acquiring an additional 129,610 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Accenture by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,687,867,000 after purchasing an additional 343,420 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Accenture by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,192,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,855 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,393,818 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,447,161,000 after purchasing an additional 63,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after buying an additional 143,483 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Fiscal Q4 revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $18.68 billion, above the $18.03 billion consensus estimate, while EPS of $3.29 topped the $3.18 estimate and increased from $3.03 a year earlier. Accenture quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Record bookings countered AI-disruption fears: Annual bookings reportedly reached $84.5 billion, with quarterly bookings up 4% to $22.17 billion. Management also said its AI workforce had doubled ahead of schedule, suggesting Accenture is benefiting from clients’ AI and digital-transformation spending rather than being displaced by it. CNBC Accenture earnings article
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 outlook was broadly supportive: Accenture forecast local-currency revenue growth of 3% to 6%, revenue of $76.4 billion to $78.7 billion and EPS of $14.39 to $14.81. The company also raised its quarterly dividend 4.9% to $1.71 per share, providing a 3.2% indicated yield. Accenture fiscal 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded its view: Argus raised its price target from $220 to $260 and initiated a “Buy” rating, citing the company’s AI momentum and growth prospects.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed: Morgan Stanley lifted its target from $175 to $195 but maintained an “Equal Weight” rating, while TD Cowen reiterated a Hold rating with a $173 target. These views suggest some analysts believe the post-earnings rebound has already priced in much of the improvement.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance was less compelling: Next-quarter revenue guidance of approximately $19.28 billion was slightly below analyst expectations, highlighting the risk that growth may remain moderate despite strong bookings and AI demand.

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.