Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Rating Increased to Hold at HSBC

HSBC upgraded shares of Accenture (NYSE:ACN) from a reduce rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $220.00 price target on the information technology services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on ACN. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wolfe Research upped their price target on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $276.00.

Accenture Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $200.41 on Friday. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $187.00 and a fifty-two week high of $325.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $234.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $246.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.34.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. This trade represents a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.