Robert W. Baird Cuts Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $265.00

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) had its price objective decreased by Robert W. Baird from $330.00 to $265.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the information technology services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ACN. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.00.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $200.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $234.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $246.63. The company has a market cap of $123.38 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.28. Accenture has a twelve month low of $187.00 and a twelve month high of $325.71.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The company 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 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.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 posted $2.82 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.40%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 36.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 18,438 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after buying an additional 4,905 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 46.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $618,000 after acquiring an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake in Accenture by 49.8% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 3,639 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,209 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Accenture during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Accenture by 2.5% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 344,093 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $102,846,000 after purchasing an additional 8,527 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

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.