Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock Price Expected to Rise, TD Cowen Analyst Says

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) had its target price upped by equities research analysts at TD Cowen from $193.00 to $201.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the information technology services provider’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target indicates a potential downside of 9.25% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Evercore set a $250.00 price target on Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.19.

Accenture Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of ACN opened at $221.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09. The stock has a market cap of $147.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.93.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. Accenture’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Accenture will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that permits the company to buy back $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total value of $149,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,540,029.44. This represents a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 10.4% in the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $9,232,000 after acquiring an additional 7,018 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 72.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,455 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,421,000 after acquiring an additional 8,169 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,108,000. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at $7,466,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,628,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth in local currency through fiscal 2029, along with longer-term margin and earnings objectives. The outlook helped address concerns about Accenture’s slowing growth and provided greater visibility into its AI-driven expansion strategy. Accenture Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, equivalent to an annualized $6.84 payout and an approximately 3.2% yield. The increase reinforces the company’s appeal to income-focused investors. Accenture Dividend Hike and AI Deals
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its AI relationships with Dell Technologies and Anthropic, launched a forward-deployed engineering program with Workday, and agreed to acquire Sagacity Solutions. The initiatives are intended to accelerate enterprise adoption of agentic AI, private or sovereign AI infrastructure and AI-powered customer intelligence. Accenture Deepens AI Push
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: earnings per share reached $3.29 versus a $3.18 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $18.68 billion. Strong bookings, free cash flow and a relatively discounted valuation also supported the bullish response.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture completed a long-running share-repurchase program and has emphasized capital returns, but investors will likely focus on whether buybacks, dividends and acquisitions translate into sustained earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag execution risks from acquisitions, pricing pressure and cautious client spending. The stock’s recent rally may already reflect substantial AI optimism, while its consensus rating remains “Hold” with an average price target near $219. Accenture Investor Day Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares worth approximately $149,968 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transaction was relatively small and planned in advance, limiting its significance, but it may modestly affect sentiment. Accenture Insider Transaction

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.