Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) had its price target upped by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $130.00 to $190.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the information technology services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.71% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Oppenheimer set a $201.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $226.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Accenture from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $194.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.07.

Accenture Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $181.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $121.18 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $174.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09.

Accenture announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is 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 transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Accenture by 33.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 30,041 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $3,738,000 after buying an additional 7,591 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden increased its position in shares of Accenture by 92.5% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 121,326 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $15,098,000 after acquiring an additional 58,300 shares during the period. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 8.3% during the second quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 172,023 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $21,406,000 after acquiring an additional 13,244 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 5.6% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,564,857 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $194,731,000 after purchasing an additional 82,362 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 5.2% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 15,708 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture and Anthropic announced a strategic AI-safety partnership in which each company expects to invest at least $1 billion over five years. The arrangement could create demand for model testing, safeguards and enterprise AI implementation services, helping position Accenture (ACN) as an AI governance leader. Can Accenture Profit From AI Safety While AI Pressures Its Own Business Model?
• Positive Sentiment: The company launched Accenture Construct, a platform intended to improve delivery of large, complex capital projects. Investors may view the offering as a way to capture spending from infrastructure and other major investment programs while applying AI and automation to a fragmented market. Accenture Launches Accenture Construct
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is broadening its commercial AI ecosystem through AWS offerings for mid-sized businesses, a Google Cloud relationship and Volvo Cars’ adoption of its Horizon platform for Android Automotive development. These deals support the view that cloud modernization and enterprise AI could offset slower legacy consulting demand. Accenture and AWS Launch AI and Cloud Offerings
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are positioning ahead of Accenture’s quarterly earnings report, with analysts revising expectations and estimates. The results and management’s comments on bookings, margins and AI demand are likely to determine whether the recent rebound can continue. Wall Street Forecasters Revamp Accenture Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that generative AI may reduce consulting hours, weaken pricing power and pressure margins. Accenture’s valuation has improved after a sharp three-month rebound, potentially limiting near-term upside despite shares remaining well below their 52-week high. AI Is Coming for Consulting, but Accenture Is Fighting Back

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve business performance through consulting, technology, and managed services. Its offerings include strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations support, and business process services.

The company provides digital transformation services involving cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data and analytics, cybersecurity, systems integration, and enterprise software. Through its Song and Industry X businesses, Accenture also supports customer experience, marketing, product engineering, and smart manufacturing initiatives.

Accenture serves clients across a broad range of industries, including financial services, health care, public service, communications, media and technology, consumer goods, retail, resources, and industrial markets.