Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $196.09 and last traded at $196.5420, with a volume of 11118398 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $201.18.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS views the selloff as a buying opportunity, highlighting Accenture’s AI exposure and long-term growth potential from accelerating enterprise AI adoption. Accenture offers AI opportunity after selloff, UBS says
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire Verum Partners to strengthen capital‑projects and infrastructure capabilities in Latin America — a targeted tuck‑in that can expand local client access and billable work. Accenture to Acquire Verum Partners, Expanding its Capital Projects Capabilities in Latin America
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s multi‑year alliances with OpenAI and other firms and its push to embed AI into promotions signal durable positioning to capture enterprise AI spending — a structural revenue opportunity if execution holds. Accenture’s OpenAI Alliances Test AI Execution As Stock Faces Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Forbes frames the pullback as a potential entry point toward a $260 target but notes near‑term pressures in discretionary consulting and IT budgets — useful context for longer‑term investors assessing risk vs. reward. Accenture Stock’s Road To $260
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and retail interest are rising (Zacks notes ACN as a trending stock), which can increase volatility but also liquidity around any new catalysts. Accenture PLC (ACN) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Management created a new Chief Communications Officer role to better shape the AI narrative and investor communications — helpful for perception but not an immediate revenue driver. Accenture plc (ACN) Stock Attractive Again After Pullback Amid New CCO Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Sector volatility from competitors and new entrants (e.g., Anthropic’s COBOL AI tool) has pressured IT/consulting stocks — IBM’s sharp drop dragged peers lower and contributed to selling in Accenture. IBM stock tumbles 10% after Anthropic launches COBOL AI tool
• Negative Sentiment: News roundups reporting the share decline and investor reassessment (MSN/Yahoo summaries) amplify negative sentiment and momentum selling in the near term. Accenture (ACN) stock sinks as market gains: What you should know

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. Argus cut their target price on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

Accenture Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $120.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $258.67 and a 200-day moving average of $252.80.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.88%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total value of $786,883.03. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,033,333.41. The trade was a 27.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,284,000. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 30.8% during the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. SG Trading Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $998,000. Investment Insight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $1,401,000. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Company Profile

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.