Not every cheap stock is necessarily one worth owning. If you can find the right high-quality, high-yield tickers that are only temporarily beaten down, however, cheap stocks are actually bargains just waiting to be bought.
Here's a rundown of three dirt cheap dividend payers most investors are simply overlooking. That spells opportunity for you.
Novo Nordisk It's not too difficult to figure out why Novo Nordisk (NVO -0.02%) shares are down so much from their 2024 peak. The GLP-1 weight-loss drug race that it helped start has since turned incredibly competitive, so much so that Novo's now losing market share to rival Eli Lilly (LLY +1.92%) (and others) within a business it largely built, forcing price cuts. Investors are also concerned about the limited expansion of Wegovy's label in this environment.
More recently, Novo's decision to file a lawsuit against Lilly (claiming that its top competitor's GLP-1 drug's advertising is misleading) may be valid, but it also suggests a certain degree of concerning desperation. Never even mind the fact that 2026 is now being seen as a "reset" year far sooner than a reset should have been necessary for the company.
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However, with the stock now down more than 60% from its mid-2024 high and still within sight of a recently reached five-year low -- and priced at less than 12 times its trailing earnings -- the sellers have arguably overshot their target. They've priced in all of these problems, and then some, without factoring in the fact that Wegovy is still a powerful brand in all of its present and future forms.
That's not the crux of the reason to consider stepping into a position in NVO here and now, however. Rather, the top reason to take a closer look at the beaten-down name at this time is its dividend yield, which currently stands at a little over 3.6% on a forward-looking basis. At the very least, the cash flow supporting these dividend payments will remain intact while the company works through its reset and continues working on the 32 drug trials it's currently got underway, nine of which are now in phase 3.
PepsiCo Novo Nordisk isn't the only attractive dividend name currently dancing with a new 52-week low. Snack food and beverage powerhouse PepsiCo's (PEP -0.52%) shares are in a similar situation. The stock's down 20% from its early February peak, dragging its forward-looking price-to-earnings ratio down to a multiyear low of less than 16, and pumping its forward-looking dividend yield up to 4.4%.
This weakness makes superficial sense. Organic revenue growth remains at a tepid 2.5% pace, bogged down by its North American food business. Cost and health concerns are both contributing factors to this headwind. Meanwhile, last quarter's core operating margin of 16.8% was down 40 basis points from the year-ago comparison, as the company is using price cuts to prop up demand however and whenever it can. Several analysts lowered their price targets on PEP following the release of its Q2 results as well. Investors are understandably nervous.
Image source: Getty Images.
There's nothing PepsiCo is going through now that it hasn't been through and survived before. Although its stock doesn't necessarily recover very quickly from these sorts of setbacks (since the economic underpinnings are also slow-moving), it's now 20% below February's high and down more than 30% from its 2023 peak. This recent weakness is a great opportunity to step into a long-term position in a quality blue chip.
It's a quality blue chip, by the way, that's now raised its dividend for 54 consecutive years. That streak isn't likely to end anytime soon.
Accenture Last but not least, add Ireland-based Accenture Plc (ACN -0.96%) to your list of cheap dividend stocks to buy if you've got $1,000 -- or any other amount -- you're looking to put to work generating income.
It's not a household name, although there's a good chance you or someone in your household benefits from its work. Accenture offers a number of specialized business services, ranging from cybersecurity to supply chain optimization to technology overhauls to risk management. It's serving markets like banks, travel, retail, healthcare, utilities, and more. The company did $69.7 billion in sales last fiscal year, up 7.4% year over year, and is likely to report comparable growth again for the fiscal year ending in August.
Unfortunately, this growth wasn't enough to stave off the 64% setback this stock has suffered since February of last year. You can probably guess why. Investors are fearful that artificial intelligence will eventually be able to replicate much of what this company brings to the table -- and perhaps it will.
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As time marches on, however, institutions are learning that AI can't do everything, and too much of what it can do, it doesn't do particularly well. Companies still need plenty of actual people to make experienced judgment calls and apply good common sense that artificial intelligence platforms often just don't have. This is good news for Accenture, and by extension, for its shareholders. It's just not yet evident in the form of a rebound in the stock.
That doesn't mean you have time to wait if you're interested, though. Priced at only 10 times this year's expected per-share profit and with a forward-looking dividend yield of 4.6%, this ticker's apt to fall back into favor sooner rather than later.
Analysts think so, anyway. Their consensus price target of $175.41 is 25% above the stock's present price.
Accenture (ACN - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.
Shares of this consulting company have returned +8.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.4% change. The Zacks Computers - IT Services industry, to which Accenture belongs, has lost 1.5% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.
For the current quarter, Accenture is expected to post earnings of $3.19 per share, indicating a change of +5.3% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.5% over the last 30 days.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $13.85 points to a change of +7.1% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $14.67 indicates a change of +5.9% from what Accenture is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -0.9%.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Accenture is rated Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
In the case of Accenture, the consensus sales estimate of $18.01 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +2.4%. The $73.54 billion and $76.51 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +5.5% and +4%, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryAccenture reported revenues of $18.72 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +5.6%. EPS of $3.8 for the same period compares with $3.49 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $18.79 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -0.37%. The EPS surprise was +2.7%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.
ValuationNo investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance.
While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Accenture is graded A on this front, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Accenture. However, its Zacks Rank #4 does suggest that it may underperform the broader market in the near term.
Andra AP fonden lowered its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) by 53.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,026 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 73,582 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Accenture were worth $12,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 96.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Accenture from $247.00 to $201.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 8th. Oppenheimer set a $201.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Monday, June 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, June 19th. Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.96.
View Our Latest Research Report on Accenture
Accenture Price Performance Shares of ACN opened at $141.11 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $155.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $197.08. The company has a market capitalization of $94.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.13. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The business had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current year.
Accenture Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.08%.
Accenture announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Insider Activity at Accenture In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 owned by company insiders.
Accenture Profile (Free Report)
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.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Accenture Confidence Is Back, But Earnings Show the Consumer Is Being Picky AeroVironment’s Stock Is Down, But Drone Demand Is Taking Off 3M’s Redemption Arc: Can Q2 Earnings Change the Narrative? 3 Photonics Companies Making Quantum Tech Possible Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report).
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Boston Common Asset Management LLC cut its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) by 75.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,604 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 10,840 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Accenture Stock Performance ACN stock opened at $143.56 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $95.87 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $156.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $198.86. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The business had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current year.
Accenture declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.
Accenture Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 52.08%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth ACN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 15th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore set a $180.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $193.19.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ACN
Accenture Company Profile (Free Report)
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.
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Accenture (ACN - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.
Shares of this consulting company have returned -19.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.1% change. The Zacks Computers - IT Services industry, to which Accenture belongs, has lost 6.7% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.
Earnings Estimate RevisionsRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.
For the current quarter, Accenture is expected to post earnings of $3.21 per share, indicating a change of +5.9% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -3.4% over the last 30 days.
The consensus earnings estimate of $13.84 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +7%. This estimate has changed -0.2% over the last 30 days.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $14.68 indicates a change of +6% from what Accenture is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -1.7%.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Accenture is rated Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
For Accenture, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $18.01 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +2.4%. For the current and next fiscal years, $73.54 billion and $76.55 billion estimates indicate +5.5% and +4.1% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryAccenture reported revenues of $18.72 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +5.6%. EPS of $3.8 for the same period compares with $3.49 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $18.79 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -0.37%. The EPS surprise was +2.7%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.
As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Accenture is graded A on this front, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Accenture. However, its Zacks Rank #4 does suggest that it may underperform the broader market in the near term.
ServiceNow stock is showing downward pressure. What should traders watch with NOW? What Is Driving ServiceNow’s Stock Momentum?The latest push follows a rollout with Accenture of two AI-focused offerings: managed security services built on the ServiceNow AI Platform and an Accenture AI-powered automation solution aimed at lowering the cost and complexity of modernizing enterprise risk and security operations.
The setup also got a boost from Guggenheim upgrading the stock to Buy and arguing software valuations are pricing in "extinction," framing the pullback as a better entry.
ServiceNow also picked up a high-visibility nod on TV, with Stephanie Link calling it a buy as one of CNBC’s "Final Trades," keeping the Guggenheim July 1 upgrade in focus for momentum traders.
In the same segment, Microsoft was highlighted after announcing 4,800 job eliminations, and that kind of mega-cap cost discipline provides a benchmark for ServiceNow because tighter enterprise budgets can accelerate demand for workflow automation and AI-driven efficiency tools like NOW’s platform.
Critical Price Levels To Watch For NOWFrom a longer-term lens, the chart is still trying to repair damage: the stock is down 48.63% over the past 12 months and remains 20.3% below its 200-day SMA ($131.21), which is why rallies can still run into "prove it" selling. Even after the bounce, the moving-average stack is mixed, with the 20-day SMA still below the 50-day SMA (bearish) and the death cross from August 2025 (50-day below 200-day) still acting as a trend headwind.
Near term, price is back on top of the key shorter averages—about 3.5% above the 20-day SMA ($100.99) and about 3.1% above the 50-day SMA ($101.39)—which helps explain why dips have been getting bought. Momentum is best read through RSI here: at 51.31 it’s neutral, suggesting the rebound isn’t stretched yet and still needs follow-through to turn into a sustained uptrend rather than just a bounce.
Key Resistance: $111.00 — a round-number area that can act as a nearby "speed bump" for rebounds – Key Support: $89.50 — a prior demand zone that sits above the $81.24 52-week low area How ServiceNow Automates Business ProcessesServiceNow provides software that helps enterprises structure and automate business processes through a SaaS model, with its roots in IT service management. Over time, it expanded across IT workflows and pushed workflow automation into customer service, HR service delivery, and security operations, while also offering an application development platform as a service.
That matters for Thursday’s move because the Accenture tie-up is aimed directly at security operations and risk workflows—areas where big customers often want a packaged solution plus implementation help. If those AI-led offerings translate into faster adoption and clearer monetization, it can help the stock’s longer-term trend catch up to the improving near-term tape.
ServiceNow Earnings Preview: What Analysts ExpectThe countdown is on: ServiceNow is set to report earnings on July 22, 2026 (confirmed).
EPS Estimate: 76 cents (Down from 82 cents YoY) Revenue Estimate: $3.93 billion (Up from $3.21 billion YoY) Valuation: P/E of 64.2x (Indicates premium valuation relative to peers) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy rating with an average price target of $138.21 (high: $236.00; low: $85.00) across 50 analysts. Recent analyst moves include:
Guggenheim: Upgraded to Buy (Target $125.00) (July 1) BTIG: Buy (Maintains Target $150.00) (June 29) Benchmark: Buy (Raises Target $130.00) (June 15) ServiceNow’s Benzinga Edge Rankings ExplainedBelow is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for SERVICENOW, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:
The Verdict: SERVICENOW’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a growth-heavy profile with weak value and weak momentum. For longer-term bulls, the cleaner setup is a sustained reclaim of major long-term averages; for traders, the risk is that rallies fade quickly if momentum doesn’t keep improving into earnings.
NOW Stock Price Activity on ThursdayNOW Stock Price Activity: ServiceNow shares were trading 1.35% lower at $106.33 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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Key Takeaways Accenture won a seven-year NATO contract to support the Protected Business Network.Accenture and Leonardo will build a secure cloud platform for about 29,000 NATO users.The deal expands Accenture's role in defense tech and may support recurring revenue opportunities. Accenture (ACN - Free Report) has secured a multi-million-euro contract from the NATO Communications and Information Agency (“NCIA”) to support the Protected Business Network (“PBN”) program, a major initiative aimed at building NATO’s secure, cloud-enabled digital enterprise. The company will execute the seven-year contract in collaboration with Italy’s Leonardo. The agreement, valued at approximately €200 million over the contract period, marks a significant milestone in NATO’s digital transformation efforts.
The Protected Business Network will serve as the foundation for classified digital operations across the NATO Enterprise. It is designed to enable military personnel and decision-makers across multiple domains to communicate, collaborate and access critical information through a standardized, scalable and secure cloud environment that offers greater resilience against cyber threats and operational disruptions.
The program is intended to replace legacy systems with a modern digital infrastructure based on a common cloud operating model, standardized engineering practices and a secure platform for developing, deploying and maintaining digital services more efficiently. This framework is expected to improve the agility and security of NATO’s digital ecosystem while supporting future technological capabilities.
Under the contract, Accenture and Leonardo will design, implement and operate the core Protected Business Network platform across NCIA’s multi-cloud environment. The platform will facilitate the phased deployment and long-term adoption of secure cloud services for approximately 29,000 users across the NATO Alliance. Leonardo will also implement a Zero Trust Architecture secured by its proprietary Global Cybersec Platform, an AI-powered multi-agent cyber defense platform, to strengthen cyber resilience.
According to Accenture, the project represents one of the most significant digital transformation initiatives undertaken by the Alliance and emphasized that, together with Leonardo, it will provide the cloud and cybersecurity capabilities needed to build a resilient, interoperable and future-ready digital backbone for NATO.
The contract further strengthens Accenture’s position in the defense and public-sector technology market by expanding its role in delivering large-scale, mission-critical cloud transformation projects. The long-term, seven-year engagement provides recurring revenue opportunities while showcasing the company’s expertise in cloud computing, cybersecurity and digital modernization. Successfully executing a high-profile NATO program is also likely to enhance Accenture’s credentials for securing similar government and defense contracts globally.
Similar Contracts Won by ACN’s Fellow Sectoral PlayersIn 2024, CACI International (CACI - Free Report) , housed in the same sector as Accenture, won a five-year task order worth $1.3 billion to provide communications and information technology services. Under the contract, CACI will modernize and enhance critical software and hardware systems, improve network IT and communications, and provide end-user support to more than 11,000 personnel across 60 locations in Europe and Africa. This modernization effort will support global multi-domain digital operations, enterprise software deployment, and secure interoperability among mission partners across the European theater.
In 2024, Science Applications International (SAIC - Free Report) secured a $229 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to deliver critical IT solutions under the NORAD/USNORTHCOM Information Technology Enterprise Services (“NITES”) program. The contract enables Science Applications International to support the modernization, innovation, and operational efficiency of the NITES program. To achieve this, the company provides skilled professionals and expertise in IT service management, network modernization, automation of existing IT systems, cloud migration, and cybersecurity. Science Applications International also works across all branches of the U.S. military to deliver mission-ready solutions that help maintain a strategic advantage.
Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesAccenture has lost 51.2% in the past year compared with a 24.2% decline in its industry.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
1-Year Price ComparisonFrom a valuation standpoint, ACN trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 1.2, way below the industry’s 11.64.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACN’s earnings has been revised over the past 90 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ACN’s Zacks RankACN currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The strategic consulting company is facing threats from artificial intelligence.
*Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of July 5, 2026. The video was published on July 7, 2026.
Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2028 $260 calls on Accenture Plc and short January 2028 $280 calls on Accenture Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.
On July 07, 2026, Accenture PLC (ACN) shares rose 3.8% today, closing at $142.14. The stock has seen a volatile performance, trading within a 52-week range of $
Key Takeaways Accenture's shares fell 29.3% in three months, worse than the IT services industry's 7.9% decline. Accenture cut its fiscal 2026 revenue growth outlook after revenues lagged estimates in Q3. AI disruption concerns, soft bookings and Middle East conflict costs are weighing on Accenture. Accenture’s (ACN - Free Report) shares are having a tough time of late and are down in double digits (% wise) over the past three months. This significant decline in the ACN stock (29.3% to be exact) has resulted in it performing worse than the Zacks Computers – IT Services industry’s 7.9% decline. ACN’s shares are also lagging those of fellow Computers IT Services players like Vertiv Holdings (VRT - Free Report) and Serve Robotics (SERV - Free Report) .
While Serve Robotics’ shares have declined roughly 23%, those of Vertiv Holdings have performed well, gaining in double digits (13.3%) over the past three months.
3-Month Price ComparisonImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
Revenue Growth Outlook Hurts ACN StockThe chief contributor to the stock’s recent disappointing performance on the bourse is the revenue growth outlook provided by management when it released the third-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended May 31, 2026) results last month.
The consulting and technology services company lowered the upper end of its fiscal 2026 revenue growth outlook, overshadowing the fact that the third-quarter earnings per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
The company now expects fiscal 2026 revenue growth of 3% to 4% in local currency, down from its previous forecast of 3% to 5%. The disappointing outlook, coupled with the fact that revenues lagged expectations in the fiscal third quarter, naturally disappointed investors.
AI Disruption Concerns: A Major Headwind for ACNArtificial Intelligence or AI-related disruptions were reflected in the company’s fiscal third-quarter results, causing a 2% in U.S. dollars (3% in local currency) year-over-year drop in new bookings. The below-par quarterly sales and soft bookings further give rise to concerns that AI is disrupting demand across consulting and managed services.
Fears that AI may render the services offered by firms like Accenture have been huge concerns. The double-digit decline highlighted above is mainly due to the skepticism about the impact of artificial intelligence on its business.
Although Accenture has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, many businesses are still unsure about how much value AI can deliver. Instead of rushing into large AI projects, companies are taking more time to evaluate the potential benefits, improve their data systems and manage costs in an uncertain economic environment.
As a result, many clients are starting with small AI pilot programs rather than committing to larger transformation projects. Moreover, many companies are spending mainly on essential AI and cybersecurity projects while cutting back on other technology investments. This is reducing demand for Accenture's broader consulting and IT services, weighing on its revenue growth and putting pressure on the stock.
This cautious approach is slowing the pace of new business for Accenture. This makes it harder for the company to quickly turn a strong interest in AI into higher revenues.
Geopolitical Uncertainty Represents Another ChallengeEven with the interim agreement between the United States and Iran, economic turbulence remains firmly in place. Hopes of a final deal continue to be shrouded in uncertainty.
At Accenture, revenues were impacted to the tune of roughly $100 million in the fiscal third quarter due to the Middle East conflict. Similar headwind is expected in the fiscal fourth quarter as well. Macroeconomic pressures have resulted in many key outsourcing contracts being delayed, thereby highlighting the growth concerns at Accenture.
How Is the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Earnings Faring?Due to the headwinds mentioned above, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter fiscal 2026, first-quarter fiscal 2027, full-year fiscal 2026 and 2027 has moved south over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ACN: Valuation Looks AppealingAccenture is currently trading at a significant discount, with a forward 12-month Price/Sales (P/S) of 1.2X compared with its industry’s 11.53X. It also appears to be highly undervalued compared with fellow industry players Serve Robotics and Vertiv Holdings. Accenture has a Value Score of A.
ACN Stock Looks CheapImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
How to Approach ACN Stock?Accenture’s top-line weakness and dim outlook, macroeconomic woes and AI-related concerns make the investment case risky. Concerns that generative AI may reduce the need for traditional IT consulting and outsourcing, leading to fewer projects for Accenture, in turn slowing its growth, have put pressure on the stock price
In view of the above, it appears prudent for investors to avoid Accenture for now rather than buy or hold the stock solely owing to the promising valuation picture. The company carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) currently.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Key Takeaways Accenture launched a joint AI-powered cybersecurity offering with ServiceNow to modernize risk management. The solution uses agentic AI to automate workflows, monitor vendors and track regulatory changes. Accenture's AI migration tools aim to cut legacy platform transition time, disruption and costs. Accenture (ACN - Free Report) has inked a deal with ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) by introducing a joint AI-powered cybersecurity offering aimed at helping enterprises modernize their risk management operations. The new solution combines managed security services built on the ServiceNow AI Platform with Accenture's AI-driven migration capabilities, addressing two major challenges organizations face when replacing legacy cybersecurity systems — high costs and implementation complexity.
The partnership with ServiceNow comes at a time when cybersecurity threats are becoming more severe and expensive. Data breach costs in the United States reached a record $10.22 million per incident in 2025, while advances in artificial intelligence have significantly reduced the time between the discovery of software vulnerabilities and their exploitation by cybercriminals. To help organizations respond faster, the new offering uses agentic AI to automate risk management, strengthen cyber resilience and improve enterprise-wide security operations.
The joint solution includes AI-powered services for integrated risk management, third-party risk management, operational technology security and regulatory compliance. AI agents continuously monitor vendors, track regulatory changes and automate routine workflows, enabling organizations to identify and address risks more efficiently. In addition, Accenture's AI-powered migration solution simplifies the transition from legacy cybersecurity platforms to the ServiceNow AI Platform, reducing implementation time, minimizing business disruption and lowering migration costs.
The collaboration also builds on Accenture's growing recognition in the cybersecurity consulting market. The company was recently named a Leader in IDC MarketScape's Worldwide Cybersecurity Governance, Risk and Compliance Consulting Services 2025-2026 Vendor Assessment, with the report highlighting Accenture's ability to combine technology, automation and strategic partnerships, including its alliance with ServiceNow, to deliver scalable risk management solutions.
The new partnership is expected to benefit Accenture by strengthening its presence in the fast-growing cybersecurity and AI services market, where enterprise spending has remained resilient despite broader weakness in discretionary IT budgets. The new offering is likely to create additional consulting, implementation and recurring managed-services opportunities while making it easier for customers to adopt the ServiceNow platform.
A deeper relationship with one of its most important strategic partners also enhances Accenture's cross-selling opportunities across AI, cloud and cybersecurity services. Although the announcement does not include any financial projections or major customer wins, it reinforces Accenture's long-term growth strategy by expanding the portfolio of AI-enabled enterprise solutions and further strengthening its competitive position in digital transformation services.
ACN's Rich Partner Base to Drive ProspectsAccenture’s growing partner base, which includes the likes of ServiceNow and NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) , is expected to drive its long-term growth prospects. NVIDIA utilizes Accenture’s proven AI scaling frameworks and deep industry expertise, along with the NVIDIA AI software and accelerated computing, for delivering rapid, scalable AI-driven reinvention.
Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesAccenture has lost nearly 50% so far this year compared with a 24% decline in its industry.
YTD Price ComparisonImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, ACN trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 1.2, way below the industry’s 11.66.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACN’s earnings has been revised over the past 90 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ACN’s Zacks RankACN currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
New offering helps federal agencies operationalize software supply chain risk management with binary-derived evidence and provenance context for a more complete view of software risk
, /PRNewswire/ -- NetRise today announced a partner-led managed software supply chain risk management offering for the federal market. Delivered through trusted federal integrators and managed service providers, the offering enables partners to combine NetRise's independent binary analysis of compiled artifacts with NetRise Provenance, which adds software supply chain context, including the extent of the reach of software supply chain compromises, to help agencies better assess and address software risk across the products, dependencies and vendors they rely on. NetRise is working with Asc3nd Technologies Group as a strategic launch partner for this program.
"Federal agencies are being asked to make software supply chain risk management operational, not just aspirational," said Thomas Pace, co-founder and CEO of NetRise. "That requires more than questionnaires, attestations or isolated tools. By enabling trusted partners with binary-derived evidence of what is actually in software, along with provenance intelligence that helps explain who is behind it and how far risk can spread, NetRise is helping agencies turn software risk into something they can assess, prioritize and act on at scale."
The offering is designed to help partners deliver software supply chain risk management as an operational capability across acquisition, authorization, continuous monitoring and incident response. Three recent federal actions bear directly on this work.
CISA Binding Operational Directive 26-04, Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (June 10, 2026), requires federal civilian agencies to prioritize remediation by asset exposure and known exploited vulnerability status, which is only as accurate as an agency's understanding of the software actually running on each asset. The AI executive order, Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security (June 2, 2026), responds to AI compressing the time between vulnerability disclosure and exploitation, raising the premium on fast and accurate software inventory. The post-quantum cryptography executive order, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks (June 22, 2026), sets 2030 and 2031 migration deadlines and directs CISA and NIST to define a cryptographic bill of materials, which depends on visibility into the cryptographic algorithms embedded in deployed software and firmware. NetRise starts from the binary to create an independent, full-stack software asset inventory across firmware, operating systems, containers and applications. NetRise Provenance adds a complementary layer of software supply chain context by mapping components to canonical repositories, contributors, maintainers, organizations and regions, while surfacing repository health signals and dependency blast radius - the extent of downstream impact when an open-source component is compromised - to help teams make better third-party risk, procurement and incident response decisions. Together, these capabilities help partners support federal agencies in several important ways:
Validate vendor-provided SBOMs against compiled artifacts and build a binary-derived inventory of the software that actually executes, giving agencies the asset-level software context that BOD 26-04 prioritization depends on Enrich that inventory with provenance context, including software origin, contributor and maintainer signals, repository health and dependency blast radius Identify the cryptographic algorithms and libraries present in compiled software and firmware, supporting the cryptographic inventory and bill-of-materials work the post-quantum executive order requires Support federal workflows spanning vendor onboarding, RMF and ATO activities, continuous monitoring and faster scoping of software supply chain incidents, at the speed AI-accelerated exploitation timelines now demand "Federal agencies can't manage what they can't see — and the teams we support don't just need better tools, they sometimes need a trusted partner who can operationalize those capabilities inside their environments," said Sarn Gabriel Bien-Aime, Founder & CEO, Asc3nd Technologies Group. "Asc3nd has built our federal practice around closing that visibility gap, and NetRise gives our customers the binary-derived evidence and provenance intelligence to move from compliance theater to real, scalable risk management. We're proud to be the first partner bringing this vision to the federal market. Now, as integrated with our AI ARES platform we are more ready than ever to uncover risk and vulnerability across Federal environments that they never would have surfaced without this suite of capabilities."
"Recent software supply chain incidents have made one thing clear: As attackers shift left and move further upstream, agencies and their partners cannot focus only on development-time controls," said Pace. "They also need to shift right and gain visibility into the software that is already running in production. When you combine binary analysis of what you actually build, buy and deploy with provenance intelligence about who is behind that software and how risk can spread, you can make better third-party risk decisions, respond faster and build more resilient federal systems."
Resources:
NetRise Provenance Data Sheet
About NetRise
NetRise is the software supply chain security company that exists to eliminate blind trust in software forever. By identifying every component in each binary image across firmware, kernels, operating systems, containers, and applications, NetRise exposes the full stack of inherited risk that source-based tools, vendor SBOMs, and questionnaires cannot see. Non-code related risk uncovered includes hidden dependencies, cryptographic artifacts, misconfigurations, secrets, among others. Global enterprises that produce and consume software, including government agencies, rely on NetRise to validate what they ship and what they run. When the software supply chain is compromised by bad actors, NetRise answers the questions, "how far do these compromises extend?" and "where am I exposed?" enabling rapid identification, prioritization, mitigation, and policy updates, reducing material risk to the business. NetRise has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Accenture (NYSE: ACN), which is also taking a majority investment in Dragos. Upon close of the transactions, NetRise will operate under Dragos.
Media Contact:
Danielle Ostrovsky
Hi-Touch PR
[email protected]
Accenture is currently caught in a ~70% drawdown relative to its all-time high reached in December 2021. This is the largest drawdown since the company's IPO in July 2001. Similar to many enterprise software companies I have previously covered, ACN and the entire IT consulting industry are also caught in the eye of the AI storm. I expect Accenture and its peers, like EPAM Systems and Cognizant Technology, to play critical roles in the overall AI deployment cycle.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Accenture plc has experienced a >50% YTD share price decline amid AI-driven obsolescence fears. I now focus on ACN's shareholder returns, highlighting robust buybacks and consistent dividend growth. Despite recent challenges, ACN's strong cash flow and capital return policies enhance its appeal as a dividend stock.
European companies improved AI readiness faster over the past six months, although North American firms remain ahead overall
MILAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Europe’s largest companies are showing early signs of narrowing the AI readiness gap with North America, but a growing divide between large and smaller firms risks holding the region back, according to the inaugural Accenture AI Progress Barometer.
AI readiness refers to the essential capabilities that organizations need to maximize the value they derive from AI such as having quality data that is easily accessible, a skilled workforce, and appropriate processes in place.
Accenture’s (NYSE:ACN) AI Progress Barometer tracks how the AI readiness of approximately 3,000 of the world’s largest companies evolves over time, benchmarking each company against peers across industries and regions. Companies are scored on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the highest level of AI readiness among the companies assessed.
According to the Barometer, European companies improved their AI Readiness scores by 1.6 points over the past six months, compared with a 1.1-point improvement in North America. These early signs of improvement for Europe still need to be confirmed in the next edition of the Barometer. However, North American companies continue to maintain a higher overall level of AI readiness on average, with scores of 48.9 out of 100 compared with 43.1 for European companies.
The data also highlights a widening divide within Europe itself. The largest European companies (those with annual revenues above $10 billion) now rank just 2.1 points behind their North American peers (47.4 versus 49.5). Smaller European companies, however, lag comparable North American firms by 7.6 points (40.5 versus 48.1), highlighting a pronounced “long tail” that could weigh on Europe’s future competitiveness.
This gap is significantly wider in Europe than in North America, underlining the risk that smaller companies could miss out on the next wave of AI-led productivity and growth unless they accelerate investment in the capabilities needed to scale AI.
Mauro Macchi, CEO for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Accenture, said, “Europe is clearly building real momentum in AI, mainly driven by its largest companies. They understand that for AI to deliver more value, faster, it requires enterprise-wide reinvention, not just plug-and-play adoption. This means rethinking operating models, redesigning how work gets done, strengthening their data and technology foundations, and most importantly ensuring leadership engagement and proper governance and change management. The speed of execution will define Europe’s future competitiveness.”
The pace of progress varies considerably across countries and sectors. Companies in France (+5 to 43.1), the United Kingdom (+4.8 to 44.5), and Spain (+4.6 to 39.9) recorded the largest improvements in AI readiness.
Ten of the 18 sectors tracked by the Barometer showed overall improvement in AI readiness, with companies in insurance (+8 to 48.6), travel (+5.7 to 46.7) and consumer goods (+5.2 to 43.7) recording the fastest gains compared to their peers globally. Insurance led the sector rankings, reflecting significant work done in transforming processes and modernizing their data foundation.
Gavin Stephenson, Accenture’s Data & AI lead for EMEA, said: “This progress reflects a shift from experimentation to execution at scale. A growing number of European companies are beginning to reinvent business processes with AI, while cleaning their data and skilling their people. For instance, insurers are not just deploying AI on top of existing processes but are redesigning how work gets done—straightforward claims can be automated from damage assessment to payment, while complex cases get flagged for a human expert. This redesign is only possible with clean, integrated and accessible data underneath, and with a workforce that is properly trained.”
About the AI Progress Barometer
Accenture’s AI Progress Barometer tracks the progress organizations are making in building the capabilities required to scale AI and extract maximum value from it. Data is collected every six months to measure progress. The Barometer is a measure of change, with scores showing the progress organizations have made. It covers the largest ~3,000 companies in the world.
Scores are aggregated and averaged by region and industry to enable comparison. The inaugural edition uses H2 2025 as the baseline reference point to show how companies’ relative AI readiness positions evolved through H1 2026. Changes in score indicate how companies have moved up or down the AI readiness rankings since H2 2025.
Scores are updated every six months and reflect relative movement against global peers across four pillars:
Strategic direction: strategic focus on AI, responsible AI and AI investment plans Technology foundation: cyber, cloud and data maturity, R&D partnerships People and skills: employee reskilling, leadership engagement, workforce adaptation and AI job postings Process reinvention: redesign of business processes with AI, and through the adoption of AI agents. The Barometer combines data from two proprietary Accenture datasets: The AI Index, an outside-in assessment of company abilities to scale with AI, and the Pulse of Change, an inside-out CXO survey conducted three times a year.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
NEW YORK & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the AI control tower for business reinvention, today launched a joint offering with two core components: managed security services built on the ServiceNow AI Platform and an Accenture AI-powered solution that automates migration from legacy systems to ServiceNow. Together, Accenture and ServiceNow are removing two of the biggest barriers blocking enterprise risk modernization: cost and complexity.
Accenture (ACN +2.52%) opened 2026 at roughly $259 per share. As of this week, it trades near $125 -- a decline of more than 50% from that high. A company of Accenture's scale and longevity doesn't move like that without something real happening. Forces combined to create what may be the most severe correction in its history as a public company, and understanding each one separately matters for investors trying to figure out whether this is a business in structural decline or a franchise temporarily overwhelmed by external forces.
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DOGE did real damage In March 2025, CEO Julie Sweet was among the first corporate executives to publicly acknowledge the impact of DOGE on federal procurement. New government contracts had slowed significantly, and existing agreements were being reviewed for termination. Accenture's Federal Services unit represented roughly 8% of global revenue and 16% of Americas revenue -- a manageable slice on paper, but the signal it sent about the vulnerability of consulting contracts across the industry was what the market repriced.
By the time Q2 fiscal 2026 results landed, Accenture was guiding for a 1% drag on full-year growth from federal exposure and explicitly carving out a separate growth figure "excluding U.S. federal impact" to show investors what the rest of the business looked like. That framing was an admission that the federal wound needed to be managed separately from the core business narrative.
Image source: Getty Images.
The AI cannibalization fear The second force is more philosophical but equally powerful: Investors began pricing in the possibility that agentic AI could automate a significant portion of what Accenture's 700,000-person workforce does. When Anthropic released new enterprise AI tools in Feb. 2026, ACN stock fell alongside other IT services names even without any company-specific news. That is a sentiment-driven repricing, not a fundamentals-driven one, but sentiment moves stocks first, and fundamentals catch up later.
What the business is doing Here is where the story gets more complicated for bears. In Q2 fiscal 2026, Accenture posted record new bookings of $22.1 billion -- including a record 41 clients with quarterly bookings above $100 million. In Q3, it posted $18.7 billion in revenue up 6%, free cash flow of $3.6 billion, and returned $2.2 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. The company has 104 large deals of $100 million or more year to date, up 13%. It recently partnered with OpenAI and Anthropic to become an enterprise AI deployment layer. These are precisely the firms whose tools investors fear will replace it. That's either cognitive dissonance or a company that understands the transition is happening and has chosen to lead it rather than resist it.
Accenture isn't out of the woods. But a company generating $3.6 billion in free cash flow per quarter, returning capital to shareholders, and booking record AI deals isn't falling apart -- it's digesting a painful transition at a valuation that already prices in most of the bad news.
Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2028 $260 calls on Accenture Plc and short January 2028 $280 calls on Accenture Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
NEW YORK, June 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kirby McInerney LLP reminds investors of its investigation on behalf of Accenture (“Accenture” or the “Company”) (NYSE:ACN) investors concerning the Company’s and/or members of its senior management’s possible violation of the federal securities laws or other unlawful business practices.
[LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION]
What Happened?
On June 16, 2026, Morgan Stanley downgraded Accenture to Hold and cut its price target from $240 to $177, citing concerns that anticipated AI spending rationalization had “not played out.” Two days later, the Company’s own guidance revision confirmed that the growth trajectory management had projected just three months earlier was no longer achievable.
On June 18, 2026, Accenture reported third quarter 2026 earnings and cut its fiscal year 2026 revenue growth forecast to 3-4%, down from the 3-5% range it had previously provided. Accenture’s prior guidance, issued during its fiscal Q2 earnings report on March 19, 2026, projected 3-5% revenue growth for full-year fiscal 2026, uplifted from Q1’s previous 2-5% target. Also, third quarter revenue of $18.7 billion came in below analyst expectations of $18.78 billion. On this news, the price of Accenture shares declined by $28.03 per share, or approximately 18%, from $156.01 per share on June 17, 2026 to close at $127.98 on June 18, 2026.
What Should I Do?
At this stage, no lawsuit has been filed. The investigation is ongoing to determine whether claims may be brought under federal securities laws.
If you purchased or otherwise acquired Accenture securities, have information, or would like to learn more about this investigation, please contact Lauren Molinaro of Kirby McInerney LLP by email at [email protected], or fill out the contact form below, to discuss your rights or interests with respect to these matters at no cost.
[LEARN MORE ABOUT SECURITIES CLASS ACTIONS]
Kirby McInerney LLP is a New York-based plaintiffs’ law firm concentrating in securities, antitrust, whistleblower, and consumer litigation. The firm’s efforts on behalf of shareholders in securities litigation have resulted in recoveries totaling billions of dollars. Additional information about the firm can be found at Kirby McInerney LLP’s website.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Litigation Partner Brandon Walker Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses In Accenture (ACN) To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options
If you purchased or acquired stock in Accenture and would like to discuss your legal rights, contact Bragar Eagel & Squire partners Brandon Walker or Melissa Fortunato by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 355-4648.
Click here to participate in the action.
NEW YORK, June 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
What’s Happening:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, is investigating potential claims against Accenture plc (“Accenture” or the “Company”) (NYSE:ACN) on behalf of Accenture stockholders. Our investigation concerns whether Accenture has violated the federal securities laws and/or engaged in other unlawful business practices.
Investigation Details:
On June 16, 2026, Morgan Stanley downgraded Accenture to Hold and lowered its price target from $240 to $177, citing concerns that the anticipated rationalization of AI spending had “not played out.” Two days later, Accenture’s revised guidance confirmed that the growth trajectory management had projected just three months earlier was no longer attainable.
On June 18, 2026, Accenture reported its third quarter fiscal 2026 results and reduced its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue growth forecast to 3–4%, down from the previously projected range of 3–5%. The prior guidance had been issued during the Company’s fiscal second quarter earnings report on March 19, 2026, when Accenture raised its full-year revenue growth outlook to 3–5% from the 2–5% range provided following its first quarter results. In addition, third quarter revenue of $18.7 billion fell short of analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. Following this news, Accenture’s share price declined by $28.03 per share, or approximately 18%, falling from $156.01 on June 17, 2026, to close at $127.98 on June 18, 2026.
Next Steps:
If you purchased or otherwise acquired Accenture shares and suffered a loss, are a long-term stockholder, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker or Melissa Fortunato by email at [email protected], by telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.
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Accenture (ACN - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.
Shares of this consulting company have returned -26.8% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.4% change. The Zacks Computers - IT Services industry, to which Accenture belongs, has lost 9.7% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Accenture is expected to post earnings of $3.21 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +5.9%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -3.5%.
The consensus earnings estimate of $13.84 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +7%. This estimate has changed -0.3% over the last 30 days.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $14.66 indicates a change of +6% from what Accenture is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -2%.
With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Accenture.
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.
For Accenture, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $18.01 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +2.4%. For the current and next fiscal years, $73.68 billion and $77.05 billion estimates indicate +5.8% and +4.6% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryAccenture reported revenues of $18.72 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +5.6%. EPS of $3.8 for the same period compares with $3.49 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $18.79 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -0.37%. The EPS surprise was +2.7%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.
ValuationNo investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance.
While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Accenture is graded A on this front, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Accenture. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The law firm of Kirby McInerney LLP is investigating potential claims against Accenture (“Accenture” or the “Company”) (NYSE:ACN). The investigation concerns whether the Company and/or members of its senior management may have violated federal securities laws or engaged in other unlawful business practices.
[LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION]
What Happened?
On June 16, 2026, Morgan Stanley downgraded Accenture to Hold and cut its price target from $240 to $177, citing concerns that anticipated AI spending rationalization had “not played out.” Two days later, the Company’s own guidance revision confirmed that the growth trajectory management had projected just three months earlier was no longer achievable.
On June 18, 2026, Accenture reported third quarter 2026 earnings and cut its fiscal year 2026 revenue growth forecast to 3-4%, down from the 3-5% range it had previously provided. Accenture’s prior guidance, issued during its fiscal Q2 earnings report on March 19, 2026, projected 3-5% revenue growth for full-year fiscal 2026, uplifted from Q1’s previous 2-5% target. Also, third quarter revenue of $18.7 billion came in below analyst expectations of $18.78 billion. On this news, the price of Accenture shares declined by $28.03 per share, or approximately 18%, from $156.01 per share on June 17, 2026 to close at $127.98 on June 18, 2026.
What Should I Do?
At this stage, no lawsuit has been filed. The investigation is ongoing to determine whether claims may be brought under federal securities laws.
If you purchased or otherwise acquired Accenture securities, have information, or would like to learn more about this investigation, please contact Lauren Molinaro of Kirby McInerney LLP by email at [email protected], or fill out the contact form below, to discuss your rights or interests with respect to these matters at no cost.
[LEARN MORE ABOUT SECURITIES CLASS ACTIONS]
Kirby McInerney LLP is a New York-based plaintiffs’ law firm concentrating in securities, antitrust, whistleblower, and consumer litigation. The firm’s efforts on behalf of shareholders in securities litigation have resulted in recoveries totaling billions of dollars. Additional information about the firm can be found at Kirby McInerney LLP’s website.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Engineering collaboration brings together deep automotive expertise and the ambition to provide one software platform, language and standard for trucks, buses and other transport vehicles, built to evolve continuously across the 15+ year vehicle lifecycle
GOTHENBURG, Sweden & KRONBERG I. TS., Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coretura, the software-defined vehicle (SDV) platform company founded by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, has signed an engineering agreement with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to accelerate the development of its software platform for trucks, buses and other medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The collaboration supports Coretura’s current roadmap to deliver first commercialized products toward the end of the decade.
As Coretura’s engineering partner, Accenture brings SDV and broader automotive engineering capabilities, including strengths in electrical and electronic (E/E) architecture and software abstraction, as well as proven experience from the commercial and passenger car industry. Combined with Coretura’s platform vision, these capabilities will enable fast, seamless innovation for the entire commercial vehicle industry.
Collaboration beats isolation
When Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, two world leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, chose to build a joint software foundation, they made a structural bet on openness and collaboration—that the future of commercial vehicles matters more than competition. This future is built on vehicles that are no longer defined by hardware alone, but increasingly by software. Important functions that used to rely on many separate built-in electronic control units are increasingly managed by a central software system.
Today, manufacturers buy and integrate software, but each new project starts from zero rather than building on a shared platform. Coretura was founded to bring platform thinking to the industry and address this cycle directly. The company will deliver one platform with one language and one standard for the software that powers commercial vehicles operating around the clock for 15+ years.
Engineering teamwork at eye level
To accelerate the development of the platform, Coretura has commissioned Accenture as its engineering partner. The two companies will bring a shared AI-driven innovation mindset and complementary roles to the collaboration. Coretura gains specialist capacity that accelerates foundational platform development while retaining full ownership of the architecture and strategic direction. Working alongside Coretura's team on the development, integration, testing, documentation, and compliance of the platform, Accenture helps to drive both speed and scale.
“Our purpose is to advance mobility at the speed of ideas, and that takes depth. Building a full-stack SDV platform demands expertise across embedded software, middleware, cybersecurity, and functional safety, all designed for vehicles with lifecycles measured in decades. Accenture’s reinvention capabilities let us move faster without compromising the standards our customers depend on. This is acceleration, not course correction.”
Johan Lundén, Chief Executive Officer, Coretura
“Helping the industry advance software-defined vehicles is a priority for Accenture. Our landmark collaboration with Coretura is designed to change embedded software engineering for automotive platforms. Together, we are looking to solve the challenges of a fully software-defined architecture – addressing critical areas such as hardware abstraction, API management and AI-based engineering optimizations.”
Rainer Oder, SDV Embedded Software Lead, Accenture
“The commercial vehicle industry is a prime example of the need for companies to reinvent. It requires bold strategic moves like Daimler Truck and Volvo Group are making with Coretura and Coretura is making with Accenture. Our collaboration is testament to Accenture’s commitment to supporting the products we develop with clients long-term.”
Tracey Countryman, Global Lead, Supply Chain and Engineering, Accenture
What it means for the industry
The shift from hardware-first to software-defined is a profound cultural and operational change. The industry is moving from concept to industrialisation, from SDV marketing to AI-based software engineering. The collaboration of Coretura, a purpose-built platform company, and Accenture, a global engineering powerhouse, signals the importance of the work for the industry.
To commercial vehicle manufacturers across the globe, Coretura’s new platform will provide a reusable, generation-independent software stack that lowers costs and secures consistent time to market. For fleet operators and end customers, it will enable commercial vehicles that keep getting smarter, safer, and more valuable long after launch, with new features and performance upgrades delivered continuously over the air. Coretura, with support from Accenture, will bring those benefits to market faster.
Growing the team, strengthening the foundation
The collaboration complements Coretura’s ongoing investment in its own team. The company continues to actively hire across system architecture, high-performance compute, middleware, functional safety, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure. With over 100 engineers from more than 15 countries, Coretura sits at the rare intersection of deep commercial vehicle knowledge and modern software thinking - and that combination is what makes this work different.
Coretura is a 50:50 joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo Group. Both founding shareholders fully support this collaboration.
About Coretura
Coretura is the software-defined vehicle platform company founded by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group. Its purpose is to advance mobility at the speed of ideas. Coretura builds one platform, one language, and one standard for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles - the foundational software layers the industry needs, but no single manufacturer should build alone. The result: fast, seamless innovation that ensures commercial vehicles keep getting smarter, safer, and more valuable long after launch. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, Coretura brings together over 130 engineers from more than 15 countries, working at the intersection of deep automotive expertise and modern software engineering.
For more information, visit www.coretura.com.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
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On June 24, 2026, we delve into the DCF analysis for Accenture PLC ACN , a company that has faced significant price declines recently. The stock is currently priced at $127.01, reflecting a year-to-date drop of 52% and a one-year decline of 55.8%. Below are key insights from our analysis:
DCF Earnings-based intrinsic value of $230.85 compared to current price, indicating a margin of safety of 49.5%. DCF Free Cash Flow (FCF)-based intrinsic value stands at $397.61, providing a second opinion on valuation. GF Score™ of 77/100 suggests a reliable basis for the DCF inputs used in this analysis. What Is ACN Worth? DCF Earnings-Based Model The DCF earnings-based model employs a two-stage valuation approach, incorporating a growth phase followed by a terminal phase. In the first stage, we project earnings growth based on the current EPS and an expected growth rate. In the terminal phase, we apply a more conservative growth rate to estimate the company's long-term value.
Parameter Value Current EPS (TTM, excl. non-recurring) $13.67 10-Year Growth Rate 10.8% 10-Year Treasury Rate 4.49% Discount Rate (ceil(Treasury) + 6%) 11% Terminal Growth Rate 4% In the growth phase (Years 1-10), we project that EPS will grow at 10.8% annually, discounted at a rate of 11%. The calculated value for this stage is $135.36 per share. Following this, in the terminal phase (Years 11-20), we assume a slower growth rate of 4%, also discounted at 11%, yielding a terminal stage value of $95.49 per share.
Stage Description Value Growth Stage (Years 1-10) EPS growing at 10.8%, discounted at 11% $135.36 Terminal Stage (Years 11-20) 4% terminal growth, discounted at 11% $95.49 Intrinsic Value Growth + Terminal $230.85 Comparing the current price of $127.01 to the intrinsic value of $230.85, we find that Accenture PLC is significantly undervalued, with a margin of safety of 49.5%. It is important to note that GuruFocus uses EPS excluding non-recurring items, as research indicates that stock prices correlate more closely with earnings than with free cash flow. For further analysis, you can visit the ACN DCF Calculator.
What Does the Free Cash Flow DCF Say? The alternative DCF model based on Free Cash Flow (FCF) yields an intrinsic value of $397.61. This FCF-based valuation aligns with the earnings-based model in indicating that Accenture PLC is significantly undervalued, with a margin of safety of 68.1%. Both models suggest a strong potential for upside, reinforcing the notion that the current market price does not reflect the company's intrinsic value.
How Does GF Value™ Compare to the DCF Models? The GF Value™ for Accenture PLC is calculated at $357.60, providing a third perspective on valuation. GF Value™ is GuruFocus' proprietary measure derived from historical trading multiples, past business growth, and future performance estimates. Notably, all three models—DCF earnings, DCF FCF, and GF Value™—indicate that the stock is undervalued, reinforcing the findings from our analysis. For more details, visit the GF Value™ page.
What Does ACN's GF Score™ Tell Us? The GF Score™ ranks stocks from 0 to 100 based on five key aspects: Financial Strength, Profitability, Growth, Valuation, and Momentum. Stocks with higher GF Score™ values have been found to generate higher long-term returns based on backtested data from 2006 to 2021.
Metric Rating GF Score™ 77/100 Financial Strength 8/10 Profitability 9/10 Growth 9/10 Valuation 2/10 Momentum 2/10 The predictability rank for Accenture PLC is 2 out of 5 stars, indicating that the DCF model may be less reliable due to the lower predictability rating. For more information, you can visit the ACN stock page.
Key Assumptions and Limitations It is essential to recognize that DCF models are highly sensitive to the assumptions made regarding growth rates and discount rates. Stocks with low predictability ratings, such as Accenture PLC, tend to produce less reliable DCF estimates. Additionally, the terminal growth rate of 4% is a simplifying assumption that may not fully capture future market conditions.
What This Means for Investors In summary, the DCF earnings model, the DCF FCF model, and the GF Value™ all point toward Accenture PLC being significantly undervalued at its current price of $127.01. The consensus across these models suggests that the stock presents an attractive opportunity for investors.
For the full DCF analysis, visit the ACN DCF Calculator. You can also explore the GF Value™ page, or use the GuruFocus Stock Screener to find undervalued predictable companies.
Frequently Asked Questions What is ACN's intrinsic value based on DCF?
This stock alert was generated using automated technology and GuruFocus financial data to provide readers with timely and accurate market reporting. This content was reviewed by GuruFocus editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
Accenture is rated a 'Strong Buy' as the stock trades at least 50% below its intrinsic value, even under conservative assumptions. ACN's Q3 2026 results showed 5.6% revenue growth, stable margins, and robust ROIC above 20%, dispelling fears of a collapsing business model. Short-term risks include declining new bookings and lowered revenue guidance, but buybacks, a solid balance sheet, and a 5.3% dividend yield support long-term value.
Have you evaluated the performance of Accenture's (ACN - Free Report) international operations for the quarter ending May 2026? Given the extensive global presence of this consulting company, analyzing the patterns in international revenues is crucial for understanding its financial strength and potential for growth.
The global economy today is deeply interlinked, making a company's engagement with international markets a critical factor in determining its financial success and growth path. It has become essential for investors to comprehend how much a company relies on these foreign markets, as this understanding reveals the firm's potential for consistent earnings, its capacity to harness different economic cycles, and its overall growth prospects.
Being present in international markets serves as a counterbalance to domestic economic challenges while offering chances to engage with more rapidly evolving economies. However, this kind of diversification introduces challenges like currency fluctuations, geopolitical uncertainties and varying market trends.
While analyzing ACN's performance for the last quarter, we found some intriguing trends in revenues from its overseas segments that Wall Street analysts commonly model and monitor.
For the quarter, the company's total revenue amounted to $18.72 billion, experiencing an increase of 5.6% year over year. Next, we'll explore the breakdown of ACN's international revenue to understand the importance of its overseas business operations.
A Closer Look at ACN's Revenue Streams AbroadDuring the quarter, Europe, Middle East and Africa contributed $6.87 billion in revenue, making up 36.7% of the total revenue. When compared to the consensus estimate of $6.89 billion, this meant a surprise of -0.19%. Looking back, Europe, Middle East and Africa contributed $6.57 billion, or 36.4%, in the previous quarter, and $6.23 billion, or 35.2%, in the same quarter of the previous year.
Of the total revenue, $2.71 billion came from Asia Pacific during the last fiscal quarter, accounting for 14.5%. This represented a surprise of +29.74% as analysts had expected the region to contribute $2.09 billion to the total revenue. In comparison, the region contributed $2.58 billion, or 14.3%, and $2.53 billion, or 14.3%, to total revenue in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
Revenue Forecasts for the International MarketsWall Street analysts expect Accenture to report $18 billion in total revenue for the current fiscal quarter, indicating an increase of 2.3% from the year-ago quarter. Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific are expected to contribute 37.7% (translating to $6.78 billion), and 12.9% ($2.31 billion) to the total revenue, respectively.
For the full year, a total revenue of $73.76 billion is expected for the company, reflecting an increase of 5.9% from the year before. The revenues from Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific are expected to make up 36.8%, and 13.2% of this total, corresponding to $27.18 billion, and $9.71 billion, respectively.
Wrapping UpThe dependency of Accenture on global markets for its revenues presents a mix of potential gains and hazards. Thus, monitoring the trends in its overseas revenues can be a key indicator for predicting the firm's future performance.
In an era of growing international ties and escalating geopolitical disputes, financial analysts on Wall Street pay keen attention to these developments to fine-tune their earnings estimations for businesses operating across borders. It's important to note, however, that a range of additional variables, like a company's local market status, also play a crucial role in shaping these forecasts.
Here at Zacks, we put a great deal of emphasis on a company's changing earnings outlook, as empirical research has shown that's a powerful force driving a stock's near-term price performance. Quite naturally, the correlation is positive here -- an upward revision in earnings estimates drives the stock price higher.
The Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating mechanism, demonstrates a notable performance history confirmed through external audits. It effectively utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions to act as a predictor of a stock's price performance in the near term.
Currently, Accenture holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), signifying its potential to match the overall market's performance in the forthcoming period. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
A Look at Accenture's Recent Stock Price PerformanceOver the past month, the stock has seen a decline of 28.2% in its value, whereas the Zacks S&P 500 composite has posted a decrease of 1.3%. The Zacks Computer and Technology sector, Accenture's industry group, has descended 2.2% over the identical span. In the past three months, there's been a decline of 36% in the company's stock price, against a rise of 12.3% in the S&P 500 index. The broader sector has increased by 21.2% during this interval.
Accenture remains a strong buy despite continued stock declines and market fears of AI-driven disruption. Q3 results show resilient revenue growth, robust profitability, and continued expansion in AI and cybersecurity. Valuation is at a deep discount, with a forward P/E of 11.26 — over 50% below the sector median, reflecting excessive market pessimism.
Accenture guided investors to expect 3-5% full-year revenue growth while undisclosed headwinds were already pressuring the business -- then cut the outlook and watched the stock fall more than 18%
, /PRNewswire/ -- Accenture (NYSE: ACN) shareholders lost approximately 18.5% of their investment value today after the company slashed its fiscal year 2026 revenue growth forecast to 3-4%, down from the 3-5% range it had previously provided. Those who lost money on ACN shares are encouraged to submit their information immediately. You may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (888) SueWallSt.
Accenture's prior guidance, issued during its fiscal Q2 earnings report on March 19, 2026, projected 3-5% revenue growth for full-year fiscal 2026, uplifted from Q1's previous 2-5% target. Today's Q3 results narrowed that range by cutting the upper bound, and the stock recorded its largest single-day percentage decline on record. The Q3 revenue figure of $18.7 billion came in below analyst expectations of $18.78 billion.
Morgan Stanley had downgraded Accenture to Hold on June 16 and cut its price target from $240 to $177, citing concerns that anticipated AI spending rationalization had "not played out." Two days later, the company's own guidance revision confirmed that the growth trajectory management had projected just three months earlier was no longer achievable.
Shareholders who purchased ACN and suffered losses may click here to discuss their legal rights. You may also reach Joseph E. Levi, Esq. at [email protected] or (888) SueWallSt.
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Frequently Asked Questions About the ACN Investigation
Q: Who is conducting the ACN investigation?A: SueWallSt is investigating potential securities law concerns on behalf of investors who purchased ACN securities and suffered financial losses. The firm is nationally recognized, ranked in the ISS Top 50 for seven consecutive years, and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved investors.
Q: Which statements are being investigated as potentially misleading?A: The investigation concerns whether Accenture made materially false or misleading statements regarding its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue growth outlook. When the company revised its guidance downward on June 18, 2026, the stock price declined sharply.
Q: What do ACN investors need to do right now?A: Gather brokerage records including purchase dates, share quantities, and prices paid. Contact SueWallSt for a free, no-obligation evaluation at [email protected] or (888) SueWallSt. No immediate action is required to remain eligible to participate in the investigation.
Q: What if I already sold my ACN shares -- can I still recover losses?A: Yes. Eligibility is based on when you purchased, not whether you still hold the shares. Investors who bought ACN and sold at a loss may still participate in the investigation.
Q: What does it cost me to participate?A: Nothing. Securities investigations are handled on a pure contingency basis. No upfront fees, no retainer, no out-of-pocket costs.
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Q: What if I live outside the United States?A: U.S. securities investigations generally cover purchases on U.S. exchanges regardless of the investor's country of residence.
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Shares of tech consulting giant Accenture (ACN +1.75%) sank about 18% on Thursday, the stock's worst single-day drop in years, after the company reported results for its fiscal third quarter (the period ended May 31, 2026). The slide left the stock trading around $128 as of this writing, and down more than 50% so far this year.
What's strange is that the quarter itself looked healthy. Accenture's earnings per share rose 9% year over year to $3.80, and revenue grew 6% to $18.7 billion. The company's operating margin even ticked higher.
But the selling likely had little to do with the quarter Accenture just posted and a lot to do with what comes next -- and with a question that has shadowed the stock all year. Is artificial intelligence (AI) starting to eat into demand for the work that built Accenture into a consulting powerhouse?
Image source: Getty Images.
The outlook, not the quarter The most concrete worry was guidance.
Accenture now expects full-year revenue to grow 3% to 4% in local currency, down from the 3% to 5% range it gave three months earlier. That trims the midpoint of its growth target from 4% to 3.5%. For a company generating about $70 billion in annual revenue, even half a point matters, suggesting near-term demand is softening rather than picking up. Management pinned about a percentage point of the drag on its U.S. federal business, where government cost-cutting has squeezed consulting contracts -- a headwind it expects to ease by the current quarter.
Further, new bookings, a useful read on future revenue, slipped to $19.3 billion from $19.7 billion a year earlier.
And then there was the timing of the earnings report. The same morning, Accenture said it would spend about $4.18 billion to buy a majority stake in cybersecurity company Dragos and acquire two smaller security firms, runZero and NetRise. It is the company's largest push yet into protecting operational technology (OT) -- the systems behind power grids and factories. Spending billions on deals while organic growth cools is a lot to ask from investors.
"Our clients across industries and regions are asking us how to be more proactive and integrated in their approach to cybersecurity," CEO Julie Sweet said in the company's announcement of the acquisitions.
Today's Change
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The bigger AI question Here's the deeper fear that has driven the stock down about 40% this year. A large share of consulting revenue comes from helping clients build software and integrate their systems. If AI tools can do more of that work in less time, companies may need fewer billable hours. Accenture's consulting revenue, which grew just 1% in local currency last quarter, gives that worry something real to point at.
Accenture's answer is that AI is a reason clients need it more, not less.
Helping a big enterprise actually put AI to work across its operations is messy and expensive -- and that is exactly the kind of project Accenture sells. In its fiscal first quarter, the company booked $2.2 billion of what it calls advanced AI work, and management has since stopped breaking out the figure, saying AI now runs through nearly everything it does.
"We believe that AI will be a tailwind for us and our industry as it scales," said CEO Julie Sweet on the latest earnings call, pushing back on the idea that the technology is denting demand for the company's services.
The cybersecurity bet follows the same logic. As companies wire AI into the machinery that runs factories and utilities, securing that infrastructure turns into a far bigger market -- one Accenture pegs at about $27 billion today.
Which brings us to the stock. After Thursday's drop, Accenture trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 11 -- a level it hasn't seen in years -- even as the business generated $3.6 billion in free cash flow last quarter and returned $2.2 billion to shareholders. That is an unusually low valuation for a profitable market leader.
So, is AI coming for the consulting business? Maybe, at the margins -- and the soft bookings number is the one I'd watch most closely from here. But that valuation seems to price in a future in which AI is a major disruptor to consulting and Accenture fails to adapt. Overall, though, I think Thursday's sell-off looks more like an overreaction than a verdict on the business. But I'd want to see bookings turn higher again before calling the stock a clear bargain.
India's Nifty IT index slumped 5.6% on Friday after industry bellwether Accenture forecast quarterly sales below Wall Street view and lowered the upper end of its annual revenue outlook due to weakness in its Middle East business.
Indian IT shares fell sharply on Friday after Accenture’s weaker outlook revived concerns that global technology spending remains fragile despite strong investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence.
The Nifty IT index dropped as much as 5.8%, making it one of the worst-performing sector gauges in Mumbai, after Accenture lowered the upper end of its annual revenue growth forecast and issued a softer-than-expected sales outlook.
The warning hit large exporters including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and HCLTech, as investors treated the update as an early signal for demand across the broader outsourcing and consulting industry.
The selloff was triggered by Accenture’s fiscal third-quarter update, which showed the limits of the recovery in enterprise technology spending.
The company now expects full-year revenue growth of 3%-4% in local currency, compared with its earlier guidance of 3%-5%.
It also forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $17.75 billion to $18.4 billion, below Wall Street expectations.
Accenture’s third-quarter revenue rose 6% to $18.72 billion, but still missed market estimates.
New bookings fell about 2% to $19.3 billion, pointing to slower decision-making by clients on large transformation contracts.
The read-through was especially painful for Indian IT firms because Accenture competes directly for digital transformation, cloud migration, consulting and managed-services contracts.
When the global bellwether sounds cautious, investors tend to reassess growth assumptions for Indian exporters.
Shares of TCS, Infosys and HCLTech fell between 5% and 7%, while other technology names also came under pressure.
Infosys stock dropped as much as 8%, TCS fell 5.4%, Wipro lost more than 4%, and HCLTech and Tech Mahindra declined over 5% each.
The decline also weighed on the broader market, with the Nifty 50 and Sensex opening lower after a recent rally. That made the move more than a sector-specific correction.
It showed that investors remain sensitive to any sign that global discretionary spending is not recovering fast enough.
Goldman Sachs analysts noted that Accenture’s results signalled a weak read-through for Indian IT companies, as demand visibility remains limited across key client markets.
The bigger question is whether AI can offset weakness in traditional IT services.
Accenture said demand remains concentrated in areas such as AI, cloud, data and cybersecurity, and announced deals worth $4.18 billion to expand its industrial cybersecurity business.
Analysts said that Accenture’s results point to demand becoming more concentrated in targeted AI investments, while broader consulting and transformation spending remains under pressure.
That distinction matters for Indian IT firms. AI-led deals may support long-term demand, but they are not yet broad enough to fully replace delayed discretionary projects.
For now, investors are likely to demand clearer signs of deal conversion, revenue visibility and margin stability before paying higher multiples for the sector again.
Stocks of major Indian information technology companies fell as much as 7% on Friday after global professional service giant Accenture lowered its revenue guidance, souring sentiment toward the sector.
Shares of India's largest IT company, Tata Consultancy Services, were down over 5%. Infosys dropped more than 7% while Tech Mahindra declined over 4%. The benchmark Nifty IT Index slid more than 5%.
Accenture on Thursday cut its revenue growth guidance for the financial year ending August 2026 to between 3% and 4% from its previous forecast of 4% to 5%.
"On the revenue side, we missed revenue consensus by $90 million, and we had a $100 million impact from the Middle East," Accenture CEO Julie Sweet told CNBC's Squawk on the Street on Thursday, discussing the company's third-quarter results.
watch now
Global brokerage Citi said Thursday it remains cautious on the Indian IT sector, noting that the Nifty IT index trades around 16 times one-year forward earnings, while Accenture trades at 10 times.
"We have been cautious given AI disruption, increased competitive intensity, GCC trends, etc.; the macro uncertainty increases the challenges near term," as per Citi's note.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Accenture plc (“Accenture” or “the Company”) (NYSE: ACN) for violations of the securities laws.
The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Accenture lowered its guidance for full-year sales, causing shares to tumble 18% on June 18, 2026.
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].
The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.
The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Accenture plc (“Accenture” or “the Company”) (NYSE: ACN) for violations of the securities laws.
The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Accenture lowered its guidance for full-year sales, causing shares to tumble 18% on June 18, 2026.
If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.
We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].
The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260620471237/en/
Accenture is rated Strong Buy after a sharp share price decline post-FY Q3 2026 earnings, with market fears of AI-driven disruption seen as overblown. ACN trades at
Rapid delivery demonstrates how CEO-led business process reengineering can accelerate data driven management
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--INFRONEER Holdings Inc. ("INFRONEER HD"), in collaboration with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and SAP Japan, today announced that it has built a new financial data and insights platform—the digital core of its data driven management—in just three months. This rapid delivery was made possible by CEO-led business process reengineering.
The new platform is the first deliverable of a broader project to build a data-driven, next generation digital core that seamlessly connects management information end-to-end—from project-level cost management to group-wide financial accounting—enabling faster, more sophisticated decision-making across the group. This project marks a key step in INFRONEER HD's transformation toward becoming an integrated infrastructure service company spanning the full lifecycle of infrastructure, moving beyond the traditional contracting-centered model. Responding to industry-wide challenges such as aging infrastructure, labor shortages, and slow digitalization, and amid group expansion through M&A, INFRONEER HD has advanced its group management capabilities by consolidating and visualizing critical management data with Accenture. INFRONEER Strategy & Innovation*, a joint venture established by the two companies in April 2025 accelerated this work.
For this project, SAP® Cloud ERP was implemented for the financial accounting domain at the core of group management. Achieving one of the fastest implementations of its kind in Japan reflects INFRONEER HD's long-standing, management led business reform approach—working closely with its operating companies to deeply understand frontline realities and business specifics. The achievement was further driven by the new implementation approach announced by Accenture and SAP in April—designed to rapidly deploy SAP Cloud ERP as a foundation for AI driven value creation—and by a joint dedicated team that led delivery.
Looking ahead, INFRONEER HD and Accenture will extend this approach to additional functions such as procurement and cost management, while advancing AI-powered analytics and predictive insights to elevate the quality and speed of decision-making across the group. In the longer term, INFRONEER HD aims to evolve these initiatives into a model that can be scaled across the infrastructure and construction industry, contributing to industry-wide productivity and the resolution of societal challenges surrounding infrastructure.
Kazunari Kibe, Representative Executive Officer and President, INFRONEER Holdings Inc., said, "The most important insight from this project is that building core enterprise systems should be treated not as an operational project, but as a management driven initiative. These projects often become prolonged because development begins before management has defined what data it needs to see and how it will use that data to make decisions—questions only management can answer. At INFRONEER HD, we have long practiced data driven management and refined our management framework together with Accenture. That foundation enabled us to deploy our financial accounting system in just three months and begin expanding into other business areas—rather than years such projects typically require. Going forward, we plan to extend this approach into other functions and across the entire group and position management led, data driven transformation as a catalyst for innovation in the infrastructure and construction industry."
Dai Hamaoka, Representative Director and President Japan Country Managing Director, Accenture, said, "Through its Reinvention Services, Accenture helps clients achieve rapid transformation by integrating management and performance improvement, business and operational reform, core system modernization, data and AI, ecosystem collaboration, and operations outsourcing into a single, connected effort. Our work with INFRONEER HD is Reinvention Services in action: We combined data- and AI-powered business reform with operational efficiency and end-to-end transformation from the boardroom to the front line to bring core enterprise systems live in just three months. This is a best-case outcome enabled by specific preconditions—executive engagement, prior business reform, organizational culture, and industry and process context—and while it may not apply to every client, this approach can reliably reduce both implementation timelines and investment. As AI becomes central to enterprise management, the ability to deliver this kind of implementation speed is more critical than ever to sharpening decision-making, raising productivity, and strengthening competitiveness."
Yoshiro Horikawa, President & Representative Director, SAP Japan, said, "This initiative by INFRONEER HD represents a concrete outcome of the collaboration program between SAP Japan and Accenture to rapidly establish SAP Cloud ERP as a foundation for AI driven value creation. Brought live in just three months, this advanced project serves as a flagship SAP Cloud ERP initiative in Japan's construction industry. By combining customers' strong commitment to management transformation and deep understanding of Japanese business operations with SAP's global standardization expertise and advanced technologies, SAP Japan will continue supporting customers in advancing operations that underpin social infrastructure."
* For more information about INFRONEER Strategy & Innovation, please visit https://www.isi.infroneer.com/.
About INFRONEER Holdings
INFRONEER Holdings (“INFRONEER HD”) was established in 2021 with Maeda Corporation, Maeda Road Construction, and Maeda Seisakusho as its core operating companies. Building on the engineering capabilities cultivated over many years across civil engineering, building construction, paving, and machinery, INFRONEER HD is an integrated infrastructure services company that manages the entire lifecycle of infrastructure—from planning and proposal, through design and construction, to operation and maintenance.
Since its founding, INFRONEER HD has steadily expanded its business domains—welcoming Japan Wind Development and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction into the group, with Swing Corporation scheduled to join in July 2026—extending its reach into areas including renewable energy and water infrastructure.
In response to societal challenges such as aging infrastructure and population decline, INFRONEER HD is driving a business model transformation built on the concept of "contracting and de-construction." By proactively assuming project risk and covering the entire value chain from investment, development and construction to operation and maintenance in an integrated manner, the company contributes to the realization of sustainable infrastructure and the creation of new value.
For more information about INFRONEER Holdings, please visit https://www.infroneer.com/en/.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
About SAP Japan
SAP Japan was established in 1992 as the Japanese subsidiary of SAP SE. As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE:SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit http://www.sap.com/japan.
This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP’s 2025 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
INFRONEER Holdings Inc. ("INFRONEER HD"), in collaboration with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and SAP Japan, today announced that it has built a new financial data and insights platform—the digital core of its data driven management—in just three months. This rapid delivery was made possible by CEO-led business process reengineering.
The new platform is the first deliverable of a broader project to build a data-driven, next generation digital core that seamlessly connects management information end-to-end—from project-level cost management to group-wide financial accounting—enabling faster, more sophisticated decision-making across the group. This project marks a key step in INFRONEER HD's transformation toward becoming an integrated infrastructure service company spanning the full lifecycle of infrastructure, moving beyond the traditional contracting-centered model. Responding to industry-wide challenges such as aging infrastructure, labor shortages, and slow digitalization, and amid group expansion through M&A, INFRONEER HD has advanced its group management capabilities by consolidating and visualizing critical management data with Accenture. INFRONEER Strategy & Innovation*, a joint venture established by the two companies in April 2025 accelerated this work.
For this project, SAP® Cloud ERP was implemented for the financial accounting domain at the core of group management. Achieving one of the fastest implementations of its kind in Japan reflects INFRONEER HD's long-standing, management led business reform approach—working closely with its operating companies to deeply understand frontline realities and business specifics. The achievement was further driven by the new implementation approach announced by Accenture and SAP in April—designed to rapidly deploy SAP Cloud ERP as a foundation for AI driven value creation—and by a joint dedicated team that led delivery.
Looking ahead, INFRONEER HD and Accenture will extend this approach to additional functions such as procurement and cost management, while advancing AI-powered analytics and predictive insights to elevate the quality and speed of decision-making across the group. In the longer term, INFRONEER HD aims to evolve these initiatives into a model that can be scaled across the infrastructure and construction industry, contributing to industry-wide productivity and the resolution of societal challenges surrounding infrastructure.
Kazunari Kibe, Representative Executive Officer and President, INFRONEER Holdings Inc., said, "The most important insight from this project is that building core enterprise systems should be treated not as an operational project, but as a management driven initiative. These projects often become prolonged because development begins before management has defined what data it needs to see and how it will use that data to make decisions—questions only management can answer. At INFRONEER HD, we have long practiced data driven management and refined our management framework together with Accenture. That foundation enabled us to deploy our financial accounting system in just three months and begin expanding into other business areas—rather than years such projects typically require. Going forward, we plan to extend this approach into other functions and across the entire group and position management led, data driven transformation as a catalyst for innovation in the infrastructure and construction industry."
Dai Hamaoka, Representative Director and President Japan Country Managing Director, Accenture, said, "Through its Reinvention Services, Accenture helps clients achieve rapid transformation by integrating management and performance improvement, business and operational reform, core system modernization, data and AI, ecosystem collaboration, and operations outsourcing into a single, connected effort. Our work with INFRONEER HD is Reinvention Services in action: We combined data- and AI-powered business reform with operational efficiency and end-to-end transformation from the boardroom to the front line to bring core enterprise systems live in just three months. This is a best-case outcome enabled by specific preconditions—executive engagement, prior business reform, organizational culture, and industry and process context—and while it may not apply to every client, this approach can reliably reduce both implementation timelines and investment. As AI becomes central to enterprise management, the ability to deliver this kind of implementation speed is more critical than ever to sharpening decision-making, raising productivity, and strengthening competitiveness."
Yoshiro Horikawa, President & Representative Director, SAP Japan, said, "This initiative by INFRONEER HD represents a concrete outcome of the collaboration program between SAP Japan and Accenture to rapidly establish SAP Cloud ERP as a foundation for AI driven value creation. Brought live in just three months, this advanced project serves as a flagship SAP Cloud ERP initiative in Japan's construction industry. By combining customers' strong commitment to management transformation and deep understanding of Japanese business operations with SAP's global standardization expertise and advanced technologies, SAP Japan will continue supporting customers in advancing operations that underpin social infrastructure."
* For more information about INFRONEER Strategy & Innovation, please visit https://www.isi.infroneer.com/.
About INFRONEER Holdings
INFRONEER Holdings (“INFRONEER HD”) was established in 2021 with Maeda Corporation, Maeda Road Construction, and Maeda Seisakusho as its core operating companies. Building on the engineering capabilities cultivated over many years across civil engineering, building construction, paving, and machinery, INFRONEER HD is an integrated infrastructure services company that manages the entire lifecycle of infrastructure—from planning and proposal, through design and construction, to operation and maintenance.
Since its founding, INFRONEER HD has steadily expanded its business domains—welcoming Japan Wind Development and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction into the group, with Swing Corporation scheduled to join in July 2026—extending its reach into areas including renewable energy and water infrastructure.
In response to societal challenges such as aging infrastructure and population decline, INFRONEER HD is driving a business model transformation built on the concept of "contracting and de-construction." By proactively assuming project risk and covering the entire value chain from investment, development and construction to operation and maintenance in an integrated manner, the company contributes to the realization of sustainable infrastructure and the creation of new value.
For more information about INFRONEER Holdings, please visit https://www.infroneer.com/en/.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
About SAP Japan
SAP Japan was established in 1992 as the Japanese subsidiary of SAP SE. As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE:SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit http://www.sap.com/japan.
This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP’s 2025 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.
Technology
A Bad Bet on ‘Durability’: The Crux of Accenture’s Stunning Stock Slide
In this article
Accenture stock was downgraded to Hold from Buy with a $150 price target, down from $258, at TD Cowen. (Dreamstime)
In the fallout of Accenture dismal disappointing report, Wall Street continues to lower expectations.
Accenture plc shares ACN remained under pressure on Monday as Wall Street analysts lowered expectations following the company's disappointing fiscal third-quarter report.
The stock fell 7.1% to $118.88, extending a sharp decline that began after earnings were released last week.
Shares had already dropped 18% on Thursday after Accenture reported quarterly results and announced a series of acquisitions aimed at expanding its cybersecurity business.
The stock ended the week down nearly 25%, marking its worst weekly performance on record.
Among the latest analyst moves, TD Cowen's Bryan Bergin downgraded Accenture to Hold from Buy and slashed his price target to $150 from $258.
"Our call for durability before potential recovery was wrong," Bergin wrote, "and sustaining the positive rating doesn't have a clear rationale as numbers go the wrong way."
Bergin noted that investor concerns had initially centered on the potential disruption posed by artificial intelligence.
However, the latest earnings report prompted another round of estimate reductions and intensified concerns about the company's growth trajectory.
A key source of concern was Accenture's bookings performance. Bergin highlighted a 3% decline in bookings from the prior quarter, writing that the contraction "was not on our bingo card."
Although he believed consensus expectations had been too high, he had still anticipated "modest growth."
Management attributed part of the weakness to several deals being pushed into fiscal 2027.
However, Bergin argued that even after accounting for an assumed $1 billion shortfall related to delayed deals, managed services bookings would still have declined.
According to the analyst, that outcome "would have challenged investor growth views" regardless.
Bergin now sees limited near-term catalysts for the stock, arguing that Accenture's financial profile is unlikely to recover as previously anticipated.
In the meantime, he expects the shares to remain vulnerable to headlines and continued selling pressure as AI adoption evolves.
The downgrade makes Bergin one of the more cautious analysts covering the stock.
According to FactSet data, 17 out of 30 firms rate Accenture shares Buy or Overweight, while 13 recommend holding the stock. None currently carries a Sell rating.
Jefferies analyst Surinder Thind also lowered his price target on Monday, cutting it to $130 from $185 while reiterating a Hold rating.
Thind cited lower revenue and earnings estimates for calendar 2027 and noted that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which Accenture Chief Executive Julie Sweet identified as one factor affecting results, "is putting further pressure on weak discretionary spend."
The analyst also argued that advances in AI are reshaping the company's addressable market.
He believes that as AI capabilities advance, the total addressable market of Accenture's more traditional services offering "is shrinking faster than anticipated, especially among its larger, more sophisticated clients."
Despite the near-term challenges, Accenture continues to invest heavily in artificial intelligence.
The company has partnerships with AI leaders, including OpenAI and Anthropic, and has been developing agentic AI offerings for clients.
RBC Capital maintained an Outperform rating on the stock while lowering its price target to $175 from $253.
The firm cited macroeconomic pressures, including a $100 million headwind from the Middle East conflict, longer decision cycles in Europe, and delayed managed services deals.
RBC noted that Accenture initiated 100 new advanced AI projects during the third fiscal quarter and expects growth to accelerate as federal headwinds ease, delayed deals begin contributing to revenue, and AI bookings convert into sales.
The firm also said Accenture's roughly $9 billion in operational technology cybersecurity acquisitions and its Accenture Edge platform are expected to contribute modestly in fiscal 2027 and could establish higher-growth opportunities beginning in fiscal 2028.
Key Takeaways Accenture reported Q3 revenue growth and EPS gains, but framed results around rising disruption.ACN said clients are moving from using AI to running on AI, with 100 new advanced AI projects.Accenture widened Q4 uncertainty as Middle East disruption hit revenue and slowed regional sales. Accenture plc (ACN - Free Report) used its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call to argue that demand for large-scale reinvention remains intact, even as late-quarter disruption in the Middle East and delayed managed services awards widened the range of possible fourth-quarter outcomes.
Management’s message was that artificial intelligence (AI) is still a tailwind, but investors should pay closer attention to execution in cybersecurity, mid-market expansion, and the company’s willingness to use acquisitions to shift toward more platform and non-FTE revenue streams.
ACN Balances Solid Results With New FrictionChief financial officer Angie Park said fiscal third-quarter revenues rose 6% year over year in U.S. dollars and 3% in local currency to $18.72 billion, while EPS increased 9% to $3.8. EPS topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.7 by 2.7%, while revenues missed the $18.79 billion consensus by 0.4%. Operating margin expanded 20 basis points to 17%.
Park also stressed that revenues landed above the midpoint of guidance, with free cash flow at $3.6 billion and $2.2 billion returned to its shareholders through dividends and buybacks in the quarter.
Even so, the company framed the quarter less as a clean beat and more as a demonstration of resilience against emerging disruption, especially in consulting-oriented work.
Accenture Sees AI Demand Moving Beyond PilotsChair and CEO Julie Sweet said Accenture is beginning to see clients move from using AI to running on AI, with another 100 clients starting advanced AI projects during the quarter. She tied that shift to stronger demand from companies with more mature digital cores.
Sweet highlighted expanding relationships with ecosystem partners, saying bookings from key emerging AI and data partners are on track to more than double from fiscal 2025 levels. She specifically cited partners including Anthropic, Databricks, Gemini, Mistral AI, NVIDIA, OpenAI, Palantir and Snowflake.
In prepared remarks and Q&A, management kept returning to the same point: AI demand is building, but the larger commercial opportunity sits in the surrounding work, such as data, security, operating model redesign and managed services modernization.
ACN Expands Its Cybersecurity AmbitionSweet made the company’s biggest strategic statement around OT security, where Accenture agreed to acquire a majority stake in Dragos and all of runZero and NetRise. She said the deals create a platform-led business that broadens Accenture’s addressable market and pushes the firm toward more non-FTE revenues.
In response to a JPMorgan analyst’s question, Sweet argued the move was about long-term growth rather than near-term revenue addition. She said the three assets would be easier for clients to buy as a single offering and described OT security as critical infrastructure protection tied directly to the coming AI buildout.
Management also raised expected acquisition spending for fiscal 2026 to about $9 billion, up from the prior outlook, and said the newly announced cyber assets represent $208 million of ARR growing at 48%.
Accenture Sets Up a Wider Q4 Outcome RangePark guided fourth-quarter revenue to $17.75 billion to $18.4 billion, implying 1% to 5% local-currency growth, and narrowed full-year local-currency revenue growth to 3% to 4%, or 4% to 5% excluding the estimated federal headwind. Full-year adjusted EPS is now expected to be $13.78 to $13.90.
The more important message was around uncertainty. Sweet said the conflict in the Middle East created about a $100 million revenue impact in the third quarter, all in consulting-type work, and also weighed on sales by about $400 million in the region and parts of EMEA because of slower decision-making.
On the call, both executives said more of the fourth-quarter range is now in play because the indirect impact only emerged in the final weeks of the quarter, making the exit rate harder to judge.
ACN Uses Q&A to Clarify the Pressure PointsQuestions from Citi, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley centered on whether the softer outlook reflected a temporary disruption or a broader slowdown. Sweet said a couple of large managed services opportunities had slipped into fiscal 2027 for company-specific reasons, rather than into the fiscal fourth quarter.
Park told analysts that consulting should improve in the fiscal fourth quarter as the federal headwind sunsets, but she also acknowledged that the Middle East disruption was concentrated in consulting work and would continue through the full quarter.
The tone in Q&A was measured rather than defensive. Management did not retreat from its AI thesis, but it was more explicit about near-term variability, inorganic contribution and the need to offset discretionary spending pressure with new markets such as OT security and the mid-market.
Accenture’s Direction After the CallSweet closed the call with a consistent strategic posture: Accenture wants to be the reinvention partner of choice as clients scale AI, while broadening its revenue mix through platforms, cybersecurity and a new mid-market business called Accenture Edge.
That leaves investors with a company still signaling confidence in demand and market share, but also one acknowledging that macro and geopolitical noise can obscure the near-term path even when long-term priorities remain unchanged.
Zacks Signals on ACNACN carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), along with Value Score A, Growth Score A, Momentum Score B and VGM Score A. The strongest expected near-term performance usually comes from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks paired with a Style Score of A or B, while a Rank #3 can still be held, with higher letter grades viewed more favorably than lower ones. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
For ACN, a strong Style Score points to favorable value, growth and combined factor characteristics, but the Zacks Rank #3 keeps the signal more balanced than outright bullish. That ranking can change as earnings estimate revisions move after the quarter, making post-report estimate trends the next key variable to watch.
Brings total fiscal year 2026 planned repurchase to $7.5 billion, a 62% increase year-over-year
Reflects leadership’s view that Accenture's share price does not reflect the Company’s financial strength or long-term growth opportunity
All repurchases to be completed by August 31, 2026, under existing Board authorization
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced a $2 billion increase to its fiscal 2026 share repurchase program, bringing the total expected share repurchases to $7.5 billion—a 62% increase over the prior year. All repurchases will be completed by August 31, 2026, under the share repurchase authority approved by the Board of Directors in September 2025. The additional $2 billion is incremental to the $300 million the company had already planned to repurchase for this quarter, bringing the total expected fourth quarter repurchases to $2.3 billion.
“Our strong liquidity profile and robust cash generation give us significant financial flexibility to act with conviction on behalf of our shareholders,” said Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet. “Accenture is at the center of AI-driven reinvention, and we do not believe our current share price reflects that position or the strength of our business fundamentals. We are acting decisively to accelerate returns to shareholders while continuing to significantly invest in our business. Our disciplined capital allocation remains core to how we create long-term shareholder value.”
Commitment to Returning Capital to Shareholders
Year-to-date, the company has returned $8.2 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Including this increase, total planned shareholder returns for fiscal year 2026 are expected to reach $11.5 billion, a more than 38% increase year-over-year. This includes $7.5 billion in share repurchases, a total increase of 62% from last year.
Following these expected repurchases, approximately $1 billion in additional repurchase capacity would remain available under the existing authorization. As typical, the company will request additional Board authorization in September 2026.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “aspires,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook,” “goal,” “target,” “strategy,” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Many of the following risks, uncertainties and other factors identified below may be amplified by conflict in the Middle East, as well as any escalation or expansion of economic disruption or the conflict’s current scope. These risks include, without limitation, risks that: the company's planned share repurchases and capital return to shareholders, including the increased repurchase commitment, are subject to change, may not be completed as planned and may be suspended, delayed or discontinued at any time without notice, depending on numerous factors, including share price and other market conditions, the company's ongoing capital allocation planning, the levels of its cash and debt balances, other demands for cash, such as acquisition activity, general economic and/or business conditions, and board and management discretion; the actual number of shares repurchased, and the timing and cost of any repurchases, will depend on share price and other market conditions and may differ materially from current expectations; the company's share repurchases may not enhance shareholder value; Accenture’s results of operations have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and geopolitical conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture’s business depends on generating and maintaining client demand for the company’s solutions and services including through the adaptation and expansion of its solutions and services in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the evolving technological environment could materially affect the company’s results of operations; risks and uncertainties related to the development and use of AI, including advanced AI, could harm the company’s business, damage its reputation or give rise to legal or regulatory action; if Accenture is unable to match people and their skills with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture faces legal, reputational and financial risks from any failure to protect client and/or company data from security incidents or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with its ecosystem partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; Accenture’s profitability could materially suffer due to pricing pressure, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies or fail to satisfy certain agreed-upon targets or specific service levels; changes in Accenture’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; Accenture's debt obligations could adversely affect our business and financial condition; as a result of Accenture’s geographically diverse operations and our strategy to continue to grow in our key markets around the world, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; Accenture’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; Accenture’s global operations expose the company to numerous and sometimes conflicting legal and regulatory requirements; if Accenture is unable to protect or enforce its intellectual property rights or if Accenture’s solutions or services infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.
Accenture’s large-enterprise expertise and deep ecosystem relationships benefit mid-market companies by driving faster growth and greater efficiency
New business deepens Accenture’s position in high-growth market; helps clients capture new opportunities created by AI
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced the launch of Accenture Edge, a new business designed to help mid-market companies with annual revenues between $300 million and $3 billion harness AI and technology. Accenture Edge brings the depth of expertise Accenture has built serving the world’s largest companies—and the power of its ecosystem partnerships with the world’s leading technology providers—to deliver business solutions specifically developed for this market.
Accenture Edge will initially launch in priority markets around the world with partner-focused solutions that will grow over time and better position Accenture to pursue a larger total addressable market: the mid-market segment represents an estimated $240 billion TAM, growing high single digits. Mid-market companies are the engine of growth and jobs for economies around the world, yet they face many of the same fundamental challenges as large enterprises—legacy technology, rising cyber risks and the imperative to adopt AI and capture its value before competitors—and they need right-sized solutions that deliver clear and measurable business outcomes. Accenture has invested in acquisitions to build capabilities specifically for this segment and already has a strong track record with target clients, delivering measurable outcomes for companies such as Churchill Downs Incorporated and The Keg Ltd.
“The companies shaping tomorrow’s economy are moving fast, thinking boldly and redefining what growth looks like,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “Mid-market companies face many of the same technology, data, AI, cybersecurity and productivity challenges as large enterprises, but they need solutions that are faster to deploy, more repeatable and right-sized for their scale. We have seen our mid-market clients benefit from the full strength of Accenture’s ecosystem, partnerships and platforms, powered by decades of experience and the latest in AI. The launch of Accenture Edge builds upon our long-term growth strategy to help clients capture new opportunities created by AI—bringing the full power of Accenture to a $240 billion market that's growing fast.”
At the heart of Accenture Edge are Accenture’s deep partnerships with the world’s leading technology companies. Accenture Edge brings together Accenture’s significant investments in platforms, accelerators and assets—right-sized and fit for purpose for this market. Together, Accenture Edge and its ecosystem partners will deliver platform-led, ready-to-deploy solutions for growth and efficiency that help businesses modernize core systems, adopt AI, deepen customer relationships, drive sales, strengthen security and simplify operations. Accenture Edge will also include seamless integration with Accenture’s joint venture with Microsoft, Avanade. Avanade will continue to serve as the provider of Microsoft platform services to mid-market clients, bringing deep cloud, AI and security expertise to help companies adopt AI at speed and scale.
“Accenture helped us modernize our core financial operations and streamline our financial reporting,” said Marcia Dall, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Churchill Downs Incorporated. “As a result, we enjoy faster insights and more agile decision-making while positioning ourselves for continued growth through innovation, dynamic forecasting, and AI-driven improvements across our diverse portfolio of businesses.”
“Accenture supported the modernization of our enterprise resource planning environment by reducing technical debt while strengthening the security, stability, and ongoing optimization of our legacy systems,” said Craig Lucas, director of Finance, Applications and Intelligence, The Keg Ltd. “Our relationship has evolved beyond technical support into a trusted partnership that blends technology, business strategy and operational guidance.”
Lars Goransson, vice president, Worldwide Services Research, IDC, said, “The mid-market technology services opportunity is significant and growing fast. Mid-market buyers IDC speaks with consistently tell us they face the same transformation pressures as their Global 2000 peers but with fewer resources and less access to the deep, ecosystem-aligned capabilities they need to act on AI at pace. Accenture’s move with Accenture Edge provides a dedicated operating structure built for the speed, economics, and partner alignment the segment requires, rather than a retrofitted version of the enterprise model.”
Learn more at accenture.com/edge
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
Accenture NYSE:ACN has entered a multi-year relationship with the Seattle Seahawks, becoming the organization’s first-ever global partner. The collaboration will help modernize the business of football through technology consulting, data and AI.
The partnership begins with foundational transformation work to help strengthen the Seahawks’ data infrastructure strategy and platform design, unlocking new opportunities across fan engagement, business operations and future innovation.
“This partnership reflects a shared belief that the future of sport will be built through innovation and is being reinvented with technology,” said Erica Tapper, director of operations, Communications, Media and High-Tech, Accenture. “Together with the Seahawks, we’re combining tech, data and AI to create new growth opportunities and deliver meaningful impact for fans both globally and in the Seattle community.”
As the Seahawks continue to expand their global presence, the relationship will also create new opportunities for Accenture and the team to engage fans in key international markets, building on Accenture’s broader work helping sports organizations grow and evolve through technology-led reinvention.
Kicking off the collaboration is the Accenture-presented Seahawks Trophy Tour—an international roadshow bringing the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX championship hardware to key cities across Germany, Australia, and Canada. The Tour will create once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences in markets where NFL fever is growing fast, connecting global audiences directly to Seattle’s storied football legacy.
“This partnership brings together two organizations committed to innovation and global engagement, and is an exciting step forward for the Seahawks as we continue to expand our international efforts,” said Isabelle Van Coevorden, Seahawks managing director of Global Markets. “Accenture’s expertise and worldwide presence make them an ideal partner as we look to grow a love for the game around the world.”
Unlike traditional sponsorships focused primarily on branding and visibility, this collaboration is rooted in business transformation—bringing together Accenture’s expertise in technology, data and AI with one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises.
Accenture will support the Seahawks with strategic technology initiatives while also activating the partnership through storytelling, fan engagement and business relationship opportunities in priority markets.
Importantly, the alliance is also designed to create lasting impact in Seattle through community-focused initiatives, including scholarship support, volunteer engagement and programs that help expand access and opportunity in the local community.
The partnership adds to Accenture’s growing portfolio of business-led sports collaborations—including the NFL, women’s tennis and golf—where the company helps organizations modernize operations, accelerate growth and reinvent the future of sport through technology, data and AI.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260623473243/en/
NEW YORK & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Unilever (LON: ULVR) is partnering with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to scale the use of AI-enabled digital twins across its global manufacturing network. The next-generation technology will help factories improve quality, boost efficiency and respond more quickly to consumer demand. The multi-year program marks a further step in Unilever’s journey to apply pioneering technology across its value chain as the company sets out to shape the future of the consumer goods industry.
Digital twins are virtual models of factory equipment and production lines. They use live data from physical systems on the shop floor to monitor and predict how machines and processes perform.
By integrating digital twins with AI-enabled insights and agentic capabilities, Unilever is equipping manufacturing teams with advanced tools to identify issues sooner, simulate scenarios faster, and make smarter decisions across the production cycle.
Building on digital twins already in use, Unilever plans to expand adoption over the next 18 months by building more than 40 new digital twins, creating a scalable blueprint for global rollout.
“Scaling AI across our operations isn’t just a technological shift, it’s a commitment to superior products, sustainability and empowering our teams across our factories,” said Adam Raeburn-James, Global VP for Digital Business Operations, Unilever. “Through our partnership with Accenture to accelerate digital twins, we are turning innovation into measurable impact to create desirable brands for our 3.7 billion consumers worldwide.”
“Unilever has long been recognized for its supply chain excellence, and expanding the use of manufacturing digital twins reflects the company’s continued focus on both technology and people,” said Nicole van Det, CEO Accenture Netherlands and Nordics and global account lead for Unilever.
“Having invested early in AI, the company is setting the standard for pairing advanced tools with smart process design and disciplined execution on the shop floor. Together, we’re setting the benchmark for how industrial AI creates long-lasting value in the consumer goods sector.”
Accenture is supporting Unilever in deploying industrial AI capabilities that use advanced analytics and AI agents to predict maintenance needs, improve performance, and help teams act faster. As the system learns and employees gain confidence in its accuracy, it can progressively take on certain adjustments automatically, with human oversight.
Digital twins delivering impact across Unilever’s manufacturing network
Digital twins are already delivering tangible benefits across multiple Unilever sites:
Superior quality and improved throughput for personal care: In Raeford, North Carolina, United States, a digital twin powering the production of iconic brands including Dove, Degree, and Axe predicts 95% of process flow restrictions in deodorant stick manufacturing, delivering a 20% reduction in waste and a 10% uplift in capacity.Lower energy consumption for home care products: In Haldia, India – dedicated to powder detergents such as Surf and Sunlight—an energy twin optimises fan speeds, temperature setpoints and moisture controls, helping achieve a tangible reduction in thermal energy consumption over two years, supporting delivery towards Unilever's scope 1 and 2 climate target.Better mayonnaise consistency, less waste: In Poznan, Poland – home to producing such iconic brands as Knorr and Hellmann’s—a digital twin stabilizes viscosity variation in mayonnaise, while reducing minor stoppages by up to 20% and cutting waste by nearly 30%.Elevating the quality of Dove soap: At Gandhidham, India – one of our largest personal care sites in South Asia—a digital twin helped reduce quality defects by 30% over four years through real-time control recommendations—as measured in distribution centers right before the product is delivered to the customer.Efficient ingredients use, consistent quality: In Cu Chi, Vietnam – where Unilever produces liquid home care products such as OMO laundry detergent—an intelligent mixer powered by an AI digital twin optimizes raw materials dosing, preventing overuse and delivering 1–2% savings in premium ingredients while maintaining superior product quality.Unilever's operational excellence, efficiency and sustainable growth across its supply chain have been recognized by the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, where Unilever holds the highest number of designations in the consumer goods sector.
Its manufacturing AI partnership with Accenture builds on previously announced efforts to scale next-generation technology across business operations, including identifying and testing new AI solutions through the AI Horizon3 Lab in Toronto, Canada.
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.7 billion people every day. We have 96,000 employees and generated sales of €50.5 billion in 2025. For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 786,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
Accenture Forward-Looking Statement
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “aspires,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook,” “goal,” “target” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, without limitation, that the collaboration might not achieve its anticipated benefits and risks and uncertainties related to the development and use of AI, including advanced AI, could harm our business, damage our reputation or give rise to legal or regulatory action, as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.
Unilever Scales Digital Twins Across Global Manufacturing Network with Accenture Unilever (LON: ULVR) is partnering with Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to scale the use of AI-enabled digital twins across its global manufacturing network. The next-generation technology will help factories improve quality, boost efficiency and respond more quickly to consumer demand. The multi-year program marks a further step in Unilever’s journey to apply pioneering technology across its value chain as the company sets out to shape the future of the consumer goods industry.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260616442266/en/
Unilever is partnering with Accenture to scale the use of AI-enabled digital twins across its global manufacturing network.
Digital twins are virtual models of factory equipment and production lines. They use live data from physical systems on the shop floor to monitor and predict how machines and processes perform.
By integrating digital twins with AI-enabled insights and agentic capabilities, Unilever is equipping manufacturing teams with advanced tools to identify issues sooner, simulate scenarios faster, and make smarter decisions across the production cycle.
Building on digital twins already in use, Unilever plans to expand adoption over the next 18 months by building more than 40 new digital twins, creating a scalable blueprint for global rollout.
“Scaling AI across our operations isn’t just a technological shift, it’s a commitment to superior products, sustainability and empowering our teams across our factories,” said Adam Raeburn-James, Global VP for Digital Business Operations, Unilever. “Through our partnership with Accenture to accelerate digital twins, we are turning innovation into measurable impact to create desirable brands for our 3.7 billion consumers worldwide.”
“Unilever has long been recognized for its supply chain excellence, and expanding the use of manufacturing digital twins reflects the company’s continued focus on both technology and people,” said Nicole van Det, CEO Accenture Netherlands and Nordics and global account lead for Unilever.
“Having invested early in AI, the company is setting the standard for pairing advanced tools with smart process design and disciplined execution on the shop floor. Together, we’re setting the benchmark for how industrial AI creates long-lasting value in the consumer goods sector.”
Accenture is supporting Unilever in deploying industrial AI capabilities that use advanced analytics and AI agents to predict maintenance needs, improve performance, and help teams act faster. As the system learns and employees gain confidence in its accuracy, it can progressively take on certain adjustments automatically, with human oversight.
Digital twins delivering impact across Unilever’s manufacturing network
Digital twins are already delivering tangible benefits across multiple Unilever sites:
Superior quality and improved throughput for personal care: In Raeford, North Carolina, United States, a digital twin powering the production of iconic brands including Dove, Degree, and Axe predicts 95% of process flow restrictions in deodorant stick manufacturing, delivering a 20% reduction in waste and a 10% uplift in capacity.Lower energy consumption for home care products: In Haldia, India – dedicated to powder detergents such as Surf and Sunlight—an energy twin optimises fan speeds, temperature setpoints and moisture controls, helping achieve a tangible reduction in thermal energy consumption over two years, supporting delivery towards Unilever's scope 1 and 2 climate target.Better mayonnaise consistency, less waste: In Poznan, Poland – home to producing such iconic brands as Knorr and Hellmann’s—a digital twin stabilizes viscosity variation in mayonnaise, while reducing minor stoppages by up to 20% and cutting waste by nearly 30%.Elevating the quality of Dove soap: At Gandhidham, India – one of our largest personal care sites in South Asia—a digital twin helped reduce quality defects by 30% over four years through real-time control recommendations—as measured in distribution centers right before the product is delivered to the customer.Efficient ingredients use, consistent quality: In Cu Chi, Vietnam – where Unilever produces liquid home care products such as OMO laundry detergent—an intelligent mixer powered by an AI digital twin optimizes raw materials dosing, preventing overuse and delivering 1–2% savings in premium ingredients while maintaining superior product quality.Unilever's operational excellence, efficiency and sustainable growth across its supply chain have been recognized by the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, where Unilever holds the highest number of designations in the consumer goods sector.
Its manufacturing AI partnership with Accenture builds on previously announced efforts to scale next-generation technology across business operations, including identifying and testing new AI solutions through the AI Horizon3 Lab in Toronto, Canada.
About Unilever
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care and Foods products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.7 billion people every day. We have 96,000 employees and generated sales of €50.5 billion in 2025. For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 786,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
Accenture Forward-Looking Statement
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “aspires,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook,” “goal,” “target” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, without limitation, that the collaboration might not achieve its anticipated benefits and risks and uncertainties related to the development and use of AI, including advanced AI, could harm our business, damage our reputation or give rise to legal or regulatory action, as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.
Industry experts to share practical strategies for eliminating AP fragmentation, improving spend visibility and accelerating finance transformation through AI
London, UK – 16 June 2026 – Procurement Magazine is pleased to announce an exclusive webinar in partnership with Coupa and Rossum, The Global Accounts Payable Blueprint: Eliminating Fragmentation for Real-Time Visibility, taking place on 17 June 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM BST.
As organisations continue to scale and evolve, finance, procurement and IT teams are increasingly challenged by fragmented systems, manual processes and disconnected workflows. These inefficiencies often create blind spots in spend visibility, delay payments, increase risk and limit an organisation's ability to maintain control over budgets and supplier relationships.
This webinar will explore how leading organisations are addressing these challenges through AI-powered automation, integrated procure-to-pay strategies and intelligent transactional workflows. Attendees will gain practical insights into how technology is helping businesses improve operational efficiency, strengthen compliance and create greater transparency across the source-to-pay lifecycle.
Learn from a Real-World Transformation
A key highlight of the session will be a customer success story from Eurowag, the international mobility and financial services provider, which partnered with Coupa, Rossum and Accenture to standardise its procure-to-pay processes following a period of rapid growth through acquisition.
By implementing automated accounts payable solutions and contract lifecycle management capabilities, Eurowag successfully transformed its finance operations, achieving:
100% standardised AP processes across the organisationA 70% automation rateA reduction in invoice processing times from nine days to fourMore than 90% on-time payment performanceA 30% improvement in paid-on-time metricsEnhanced compliance, fraud prevention and audit readiness "Coupa provides a clear, traceable link between purchase orders, receipts and invoices — supporting finance and compliance with a reliable audit trail," said Marcella Mathes, Head of Finance Processes and Digital Finance at Eurowag.
Expert Perspectives from Across the Industry
The webinar will feature a panel of experts representing procurement, finance, technology and transformation functions:
Petr Podávka, Accounts Payable Manager, EurowagAlexander Boehme, Manager Solutions Advisory, CoupaSam Overton, Regional Vice President, RossumJarda Privoznik, Technology Delivery Associate Director, Accenture Together, they will discuss how organisations can leverage automation and AI to streamline AP processes, improve supplier management, strengthen governance and build a more resilient operating model.
Exploring the Future of Autonomous Spend Management
The session comes shortly after Coupa's acquisition of Rossum, announced at Coupa Inspire 2026. The acquisition expands the companies' existing partnership and brings intelligent document processing capabilities deeper into the source-to-pay ecosystem.
Attendees will hear how AI-powered transactional intelligence is helping organisations move towards more autonomous finance operations while maintaining the controls and visibility required in today's increasingly complex business environment.
As procurement and finance leaders face growing pressure to drive efficiency, reduce costs and manage risk, understanding the role of AI within spend management has never been more important.
Register now to secure your place.
About Procurement Magazine
Procurement Magazine connects the world's leading procurement executives through premium content, events, research and thought leadership. The platform delivers insights into procurement strategy, technology, sustainability and supply chain innovation, helping organisations drive performance and transformation.
Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) will release earnings for its third quarter before the opening bell on Thursday, June 18.
Analysts expect the Dublin, Ireland-based company to report quarterly earnings of $3.71 per share. That's up from $3.49 per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Accenture's quarterly revenue is $18.76 billion (it reported $17.73 billion last year), according to Benzinga Pro.
On June 8, Accenture agreed to acquire Whalar, a leading creator and social agency, from Whalar Group.
Shares of Accenture rose 1.7% to close at $170.28 on Monday.
Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.
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