Should You Buy Accenture PLC (ACN) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
270.430
1 Day change
-1.95%
52 Week Range
398.350
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
Buy now for a long-term position. At ~$275.8 pre-market, ACN is trading near key support (S1 ~274.4) while Wall Street price targets cluster materially higher (~$295–$320) and recent news highlights AI-driven catalysts (Faculty acquisition; Palantir/Sovereign AI data-center collaboration). Near-term signals are mixed-to-soft (negative MACD momentum, heavy put volume, rising insider selling), but for a Beginner with a long-term preference and $50k–$100k to deploy, the current level is a reasonable entry without waiting for a “perfect” pullback.
Technical Analysis
Trend is broadly bullish on moving averages (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), but short-term momentum has weakened: MACD histogram is -0.84 and negatively expanding (bearish momentum), while RSI(6) ~41.6 is neutral-to-slightly weak (not oversold). Price (~275.8) is below the pivot (281.6), suggesting the stock is currently in a consolidation/pullback phase. Key levels: Support S1 ~274.4 then S2 ~270.0; Resistance R1 ~288.8 then R2 ~293.3. With price sitting near S1, risk/reward is acceptable for a long-term buy, but a clean break below ~274 could invite a retest toward ~270 before stabilizing.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals:
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Options positioning is mixed: open interest put/call of 0.74 leans mildly bullish/neutral (more calls outstanding than puts), but the option volume put/call of 3.33 is strongly bearish/defensive for the day (puts trading far more than calls), implying short-term caution/hedging. Implied volatility is elevated (30D IV ~47.5) with IV percentile at 100, meaning options are priced for larger-than-usual moves; this often coincides with uncertainty and can reflect near-term downside protection demand.
Technical Summary
Sell
8
Buy
5
Positive Catalysts
AI-driven growth narrative remains strong: (1) Acquisition of AI services firm Faculty strengthens GenAI delivery capability; (2) Partnership activity (Accenture + Palantir + Sovereign AI) around next-gen AI data centers across EMEA with potential expansion; (3) Recent coverage/targets skew positive with multiple Buy/Outperform ratings and targets mostly above the current price; (4) Dividend-quality recognition (named among top S&P 500 dividend stocks for 2026 in the provided news summary) supports long-term investor appeal.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Near-term sentiment/momentum is not fully supportive: (1) Bearish MACD and trading below the pivot level indicate short-term downside risk; (2) Options tape shows heavy put volume (put/call volume 3.33), consistent with defensive positioning; (3) Insiders are net sellers, with selling up ~237% over the last month (a negative sentiment signal); (4) Latest quarter showed profit softness despite revenue growth (net income and EPS down YoY), which can cap multiple expansion in the short run.
Financial Performance
Latest reported quarter: 2026/Q1. Revenue grew to ~$18.74B (+5.95% YoY), showing steady top-line expansion. Profitability was softer: Net income fell to ~$2.21B (-2.95% YoY) and EPS slipped to $3.54 (-1.39% YoY). Gross margin improved slightly to ~33.07% (+0.46% YoY). Overall: healthy revenue growth and stable/improving gross margin, but earnings growth is currently lagging—consistent with an investment phase and/or mix/operating cost pressure.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent analyst trend is constructive. New/ongoing Buy coverage and upward or supportive targets dominate: Berenberg initiated Buy with $313 (2026-01-22); Truist initiated Buy with $317 (2026-01-06); UBS raised target to $320 (2025-12-19); RBC raised to $295 and highlighted bookings/AI momentum (2025-12-19); Evercore raised to $300 (2025-12-18). Some caution remains (e.g., Susquehanna Neutral with $277). Wall Street ‘pros’ view: premium positioning in AI-led enterprise transformation, large multi-year deal capability, and ecosystem partnerships. ‘Cons’ view: near-term spending/discretionary caution, potential AI productivity/cannibalization questions, and guidance conservatism. Overall sell-side stance skews Buy/Outperform with targets generally above the current price.
Wall Street analysts forecast ACN stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ACN is 295.67 USD with a low forecast of 251 USD and a high forecast of 330 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
16 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast ACN stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ACN is 295.67 USD with a low forecast of 251 USD and a high forecast of 330 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
10 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 275.800
Low
251
Averages
295.67
High
330
Current: 275.800
Low
251
Averages
295.67
High
330
Berenberg
Buy
initiated
$313
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
Reason
Berenberg
Price Target
$313
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
initiated
Buy
Reason
Berenberg initiated coverage of Accenture with a Buy rating and $313 price target. The firm says the company's "premium positioning" in the IT services sector's AI-led transformation is underpinned by is its scale, first-mover advantages and deep ecosystem partnerships. This enables Accenture to secure large, multi-year enterprise transformation deals, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Berenberg expects the company to sustain its market share momentum.
Citi
Buy
downgrade
$7 -> $4
2026-01-09
Reason
Citi
Price Target
$7 -> $4
2026-01-09
downgrade
Buy
Reason
Citi lowered the firm's price target on Accendra Health to $4 from $7 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares as part of the firm's 2026 outlook note on the health tech and distribution group. 2025 proved to be another challenging year for health tech, with nearly one-third of the group down greater than 25%, but the firm is "cautiously optimistic" looking ahead to 2026, the analyst tells investors.
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