Robert W. Baird Has Lowered Expectations for Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock Price

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $330.00 to $265.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the information technology services provider’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 32.23% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on ACN. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. HSBC boosted their price objective on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Argus decreased 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. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $276.00.

Accenture Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of ACN opened at $200.41 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $246.68. The company has a market cap of $123.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture has a twelve month low of $187.00 and a twelve month high of $325.71.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,380.79. The trade was a 30.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Investors Research Corp raised its stake in Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and record bookings — Accenture reported EPS and revenue above expectations and said bookings remain strong, driven by AI and cloud demand; that underpins longer-term growth potential. BusinessWire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships and product wins — New collaborations (notably with Microsoft on agentic security) and ongoing AI initiatives support deal pipeline and cross-sell opportunities. BusinessWire: Microsoft Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Board announced a quarterly dividend (ex-dividend April 9) reinforcing cash return policy and yielding ~3.2%, which can support investor demand for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Selective analyst upgrades — HSBC moved to “hold” with a $220 target and a few firms maintain outperform/buy ratings even as they trim targets; sentiment among sell‑side analysts is mixed. Finviz: HSBC Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price-target cuts — Several brokers trimmed targets (BMO to $230, RBC to $253, Guggenheim to $250, Robert W. Baird to $265) after the quarter, increasing near‑term downside perception despite differing ratings. Benzinga: Analyst Moves TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious revenue outlook — Management’s near-term revenue guidance came in below some Street expectations and the company warned of client caution on large IT transformation spending, which is the key driver of today’s weakness. Reuters: Revenue Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downward revisions and stock reaction — Several analysts cut earnings/forecasts after the print and the stock is declining on higher-than-normal volume, reflecting profit‑taking and concern about near‑term execution and AI disruption risks. Benzinga: Forecast Cuts

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.