Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $184.75 and last traded at $202.0710, with a volume of 299986 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $195.15.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results topped expectations — Accenture reported $2.93 EPS (vs. ~$2.84 est.) and $18.04B revenue, up 7.8% y/y, showing solid top‑line growth and margin resilience. BusinessWire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI is driving bookings and revenue — Management cited rising AI adoption among clients as a key demand catalyst, supporting bookings growth and service opportunities. WSJ: AI Boosts Bookings
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships beef up enterprise AI capabilities — New/expanded alliances with Databricks, Microsoft and others aim to accelerate enterprise AI deployments, which supports longer‑term service demand. Seeking Alpha: Accenture & Microsoft
• Neutral Sentiment: Long track record of earnings beats keeps expectations elevated — Analysts note Accenture’s history of upside surprises, which may temper reactions to one quarter but also raises expectations for future guidance. Zacks: Earnings Surprise History
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance/forecast disappointed — Accenture’s revenue outlook for the coming quarter was issued below Street estimates as clients remain cautious on large IT transformation projects, a key reason for downward pressure on the stock. Reuters: Revenue Forecast Below Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cuts and negative market sentiment — TD Cowen and others trimmed price targets and some firms moderated expectations; broader investor fear about AI disruption and cautious client spending have driven ACN sharply lower YTD. MSN: TD Cowen Cuts PT Barron’s: Stock Falling on AI Fears

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim decreased their price target on Accenture from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.19.

Accenture Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $237.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $247.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The company has a market cap of $126.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.27.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at $7,656,887.70. This represents a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 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 purchasing an additional 4,905 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 46.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. United Bank lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 49.8% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 3,639 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,088,000 after buying an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,316 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $692,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 100,473 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,030,000 after acquiring an additional 20,198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

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.