Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Reaches New 1-Year Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday after BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on the stock from $210.00 to $180.00. BNP Paribas Exane currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Accenture traded as low as $129.50 and last traded at $128.3780, with a volume of 1494648 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $156.01.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on ACN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $247.00 to $201.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $177.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Accenture in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, HSBC reduced their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.63.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture reported fiscal Q3 EPS of $3.80, topping the $3.70 consensus and up from $3.49 a year ago, showing continued profit growth. Accenture (ACN) Tops Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced strategic expansion in cybersecurity, including a majority stake in Dragos and acquisitions of runZero and NetRise, which could strengthen its AI-era security offerings. Accenture to Strengthen Critical Infrastructure Defense with End-to-End Cybersecurity Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture also continued building its digital and healthcare footprint with deals for Unilever AI factory work, IndX, and Alfahealth, supporting longer-term growth opportunities. Accenture (ACN) Lands Unilever AI Factory Deal And Expands With Two Acquisitions

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Accenture during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $85.76 billion, a PE ratio of 10.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.86.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.78 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.49 EPS. Accenture’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.83 earnings per share for the current year.

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.