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

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) was upgraded by equities researchers at HSBC from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $220.00 price objective on the information technology services provider’s stock. HSBC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 7.66% from the stock’s current price.

ACN has been the subject of a number of other reports. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.15.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN traded up $0.80 on Friday, hitting $204.35. 1,086,239 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,131,162. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture has a one year low of $187.00 and a one year high of $325.71. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.16. The firm has a market cap of $125.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.27.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total transaction of $786,883.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $366,300.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 28,207 shares in the company, valued at $7,756,925. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Investors Research Corp grew its stake in Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd 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 period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat and record AI-driven bookings — Accenture reported fiscal Q2 results above expectations (EPS $2.93 vs. ~$2.84 consensus) and reported record bookings and accelerating AI/cloud demand, supporting revenue growth and proof of durable demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI & cloud partnerships bolster growth runway — New/expanded collaborations with Microsoft, Databricks and other partners (including MxDR cyber capabilities with Microsoft) position Accenture to capture enterprise AI transformation spending. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Accenture declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share (ex-dividend April 9, payable May 15), supporting income-oriented investors and signaling cash-return discipline.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target resets — Robert W. Baird cut its target to $265 (still an Outperform) and TD Cowen trimmed its target, reflecting lower near-term multiples but continued conviction in medium-term fundamentals. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance/near-term outlook disappointed — Management forecasted quarterly revenue below some analyst estimates and issued a cautious near‑term outlook as clients show caution on large IT transformation projects, which triggered the sell-off despite the beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and AI-risk sentiment — Despite strong bookings and partnerships, investors remain wary after a large YTD share decline tied to AI disruption fears; several headlines note the stock fell on the mixed print and guidance miss, amplifying downside pressure. Article Title Article Title

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.