Dublin, Ireland-based Accenture plc (ACN), with a market capitalization of approximately $117.3 billion, is a global professional services company that helps businesses transform and improve their operations through technology, consulting, digital services, cloud, and AI solutions. It serves clients across more than 120 countries, helping them solve complex business challenges and drive growth.
Shares of this leading professional services company have underperformed the broader market over the past year. ACN has declined 27.3% over this period, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has advanced 22.4%. The stock has also underperformed the index in 2026, falling 34.5% year-to-date, compared with the S&P 500’s 13.3% gain over the same period.
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Compared with the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK), ACN has also significantly underperformed. XLK has gained 42.8% over the past year and 30.6% year-to-date.
www.barchart.com On June 18, Accenture reported its Q3 FY2026 earnings, sending its shares down about 18%, its worst single-day decline in years, as weaker bookings and a narrower revenue growth outlook overshadowed stronger-than-expected earnings. Revenues increased 5.6% to $18.72 billion, with EMEA and Managed Services posting stronger growth than the company overall. New bookings declined 2% to $19.3 billion from $19.7 billion a year earlier. Diluted EPS rose 8.9% to $3.80, while operating margin expanded 20 basis points to 17.0%.
Accenture narrowed its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue growth guidance to 3% to 4% in local currency, from 3% to 5% previously, or 4% to 5% excluding an estimated 1% impact from its U.S. federal business. The company raised its adjusted EPS guidance to $13.78 to $13.90, from $13.65 to $13.90, and continued to expect free cash flow of $10.8 billion to $11.5 billion.
Analysts expect ACN’s diluted EPS to increase 7.1% year over year to $13.85 for the fiscal year ending in August 2026. However, ACN has surpassed consensus EPS estimates in each of the past four quarters, reflecting consistent earnings performance.
Among the 25 analysts covering ACN stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” The rating is based on 12 “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Sell” rating, and 12 “Hold” ratings.
www.barchart.com This configuration is more bearish than it was two months ago, when the stock had 14 "Strong Buy" recommendations.
On August 4, Goldman Sachs analyst James Schneider maintained a “Buy” rating on Accenture and a $230 price target.
Based on analysts' estimates, the mean price target of $179.92 implies a 2.4% premium to ACN's current share price. The Street-high price target of $275 implies a 56.5% upside.
On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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