Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target Cut to $230.00 by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets cut its price target on Accenture from $300 to $230 and assigned a "market perform" rating, implying roughly a 14% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Accenture beat Q2 estimates (EPS $2.93 vs. $2.84; revenue $18.04B vs. $17.80B) and cited strong bookings and AI/cloud demand, but management guided next-quarter revenue below Street estimates, triggering share weakness and several target cuts.
• The sell‑side consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a mean target near $277.65, while ACN trades around $201.49 and pays a $1.63 quarterly dividend (≈3.2% yield).

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $300.00 to $230.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "market perform" rating on the information technology services provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target would suggest a potential upside of 14.15% from the stock's previous close.

ACN has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Eighteen research 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, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $277.65.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN traded down $2.06 on Friday, hitting $201.49. 3,773,236 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,196,995. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $187.00 and a fifty-two week high of $325.71. 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 market capitalization of $124.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.27. The business's fifty day moving average is $235.99 and its 200 day moving average is $247.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,688 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,564,439.84. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total value of $289,024.20. Following the completion of 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth about $2,146,995,000. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Accenture by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after buying an additional 4,984,930 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the third quarter worth about $311,694,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Accenture by 12.8% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,502,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 15.9% during the fourth 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. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat Street estimates with $2.93 EPS and $18.04B revenue; management reported record bookings and strength in AI/cloud demand. Business Wire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong AI positioning and partnerships (Microsoft, Google Cloud, Databricks) highlighted as drivers of bookings and future services growth. Business Wire: Microsoft Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend: Accenture declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share (ex‑dividend April 9, payable May 15), supporting income investor interest and a ~3.2% yield.
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded ACN from "reduce" to "hold" with a $220 PT, signaling some analyst confidence after the print. Finviz: HSBC Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO and management commentary emphasized AI-era opportunities and workforce strategy; full transcripts and call highlights are available for detail. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst pieces and market commentary note Accenture's resilience vs. broader tech weakness and its strong bookings cadence — useful context but not immediately market moving. Seeking Alpha: Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Management guided next-quarter revenue below Street estimates and flagged client caution on large IT transformation projects — the primary driver of intra‑day weakness. Reuters: Revenue Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms cut ACN price targets despite generally positive ratings (RBC to $253, Guggenheim to $250, Robert W. Baird to $265), reducing upside expectations. Benzinga: Analyst PT Changes
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares pared earlier gains after the weaker outlook — analysts and traders focused on the guidance miss more than the modest beat in EPS. Invezz: Market Reaction

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.

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