Baird's downgrade is a contrarian call against its own PT raise and the consensus, but the firm's below-average accuracy on ACN and the insider selling by the CAO reinforce the bearish tilt. The stock's setup is cautious: the consensus is still bullish, but the downward EPS revisions and insider sales suggest near-term headwinds.
Price Chart
Executive Summary
Baird double-downgraded Accenture plc (ACN) from Outperform to Neutral on October 21, 2026, while raising its price target from $245 to $252, implying a 5.4% upside from the current price of $239.12. Baird's accuracy on ACN is 50% (4 of 8 calls), below the average of top-tier firms covering the stock. The consensus on ACN is mixed: 18 Buy (6 Strong Buy, 12 Buy), 14 Hold, 0 Sell out of 32 analysts. The mean price target is $225.32, with a high of $278 and a low of $163. Baird's new PT of $252 sits above the mean and median ($228), indicating a relatively bullish stance despite the downgrade. Over the past 30 days, there have been 0 upgrades and 1 downgrade, with EPS revisions showing 13 downward revisions vs 5 upward for the current quarter. Insider trades show a cluster of sells by Chief Accounting Officer Hogan Catherine Kiernan totaling over $145,000 on October 12, 2026, aligning with the bearish analyst signal. The bottom line: Baird's downgrade is a contrarian call against its own PT raise, and the stock's consensus remains cautiously optimistic, but the insider selling and downward EPS revisions add weight to the bearish view.
Impact Score
Consensus & Targets
The consensus among 32 analysts covering ACN is 56% Buy (6 Strong Buy, 12 Buy), 44% Hold (14 Hold), and 0% Sell. This is a moderately bullish consensus, with no sell-side bearishness. Baird's downgrade to Neutral places it in the hold camp, aligning with the largest single rating group.
The current price of ACN is $239.12. The mean price target is $225.32, median $228, high $278, low $163. The implied downside to the mean is -5.8%. Baird's new PT of $252 is above the mean and median, suggesting the firm still sees upside but at a slower pace. The PT range is wide, with the high ($278) implying 16.3% upside and the low ($163) implying -31.8% downside.
Recent Analyst Activity
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-21 | Baird | downgrade | Neutral | $252.00 |
| 2026-10-15 | TD Cowen | maintain | Hold | $201.00 |
| 2026-10-15 | Susquehanna | maintain | Neutral | $230.00 |
| 2026-10-06 | Mizuho | maintain | Outperform | $241.00 |
| 2026-10-02 | Goldman Sachs | maintain | Buy | $260.00 |
| 2026-10-02 | Truist Securities | maintain | Hold | $220.00 |
| 2026-10-02 | Wells Fargo | maintain | Equal-Weight | $210.00 |
| 2026-10-02 | TD Cowen | maintain | Hold | $193.00 |
| 2026-10-02 | RBC Capital | maintain | Outperform | $240.00 |
| 2026-10-02 | Evercore ISI Group | maintain | Outperform | $250.00 |
In the past 30 days, there has been 1 downgrade (Baird) and 0 upgrades. EPS revision trends are negative: for the current quarter, 13 downward revisions vs 5 upward; for the next quarter, 10 down vs 8 up; for the current fiscal year, 10 down vs 13 up; for next fiscal year, 8 down vs 12 up. The near-term outlook is deteriorating, with more downward revisions than upward.
Firm Track Record — Baird
Baird accuracy: 54% on 2645 calls | avg return: 4%
Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 10%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 15 firms with ≥5 scored calls.
| Firm | Accuracy | Calls | Avg Return | vs Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B of A Securities | 100% | 2/2 | 10% | top tier |
| TD Cowen | 80% | 8/10 | 12.8% | top tier |
| Susquehanna | 80% | 4/5 | 9.6% | top tier |
| Stifel | 75% | 3/4 | 8.7% | top tier |
| Wells Fargo | 60% | 3/5 | 6.1% | above average |
| Citigroup | 60% | 3/5 | 4.5% | above average |
| Evercore ISI Group | 60% | 3/5 | 3.5% | above average |
| RBC Capital | 50% | 3/6 | -0.4% | below average |
| Guggenheim | 50% | 5/10 | -1.1% | below average |
| Truist Securities | 50% | 2/4 | 0.8% | below average |
Baird has a 50% accuracy rate on 8 calls for ACN, with an average return of -1.2%, placing it below average among covering firms. Top-tier firms like B of A Securities (100% on 2 calls, avg return +10%) and TD Cowen (80% on 10 calls, avg return +12.8%) have significantly better track records. Baird's below-average performance reduces the weight of this downgrade.
Earnings Estimates
| Period | EPS Est. | EPS Range | Revenue | Revisions (7d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0q | $3.95 | $3.82 — $4.04 | $19.4B | ↑0 ↓0 |
| +1q | $3.15 | $3.04 — $3.49 | $18.8B | ↑1 ↓0 |
| 0y | $14.66 | $14.30 — $14.83 | $77.4B | ↑3 ↓0 |
| +1y | $15.89 | $15.03 — $16.61 | $81.4B | ↑7 ↓0 |
Cross-Platform Signals
Insider trades show a cluster of sells by Chief Accounting Officer Hogan Catherine Kiernan on October 12, 2026, totaling over $145,000. This insider selling aligns with the bearish analyst downgrade, adding joint informativeness. Congressional trades show a buy by Rep. C. Franklin (R) in August 2026 and sells by Rep. Kelly Morrison (D) in August 2026, but these are small amounts and not a strong signal. Short interest data is not available for comparison. Institutional changes are absent from the context.
Investment Themes
Documents Analyzed
Report based on filing metadata.
Filters
| Type | Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 22, 2026 3d ago | Insider Cluster | $256.84 | awaiting T+5 | — | $247.23 (−3.74%) |
Oct 22, 2026 3d ago | 144 | $257.50 | awaiting T+5 | — | $247.23 (−3.99%) |
Oct 22, 2026 4d ago | 144 | $258.01 | awaiting T+5 | — | $247.23 (−4.18%) |
Oct 21, 2026 5d ago | ANALYST-DOWNGRADE | $240.26 | awaiting T+5 | — | $247.23 (−2.90%) |
Oct 14, 2026 12d ago | 8-K | $214.96 $240.26 | ▲ +11.77% | ▲ +11.32% | $247.23 (+15.01%) |
Oct 8, 2026 18d ago | 144 | $207.40 $229.68 | ▲ +10.74% | ▲ +12.71% | $247.23 (+19.21%) |
Oct 1, 2026 25d ago | 8-K | $210.61 $206.70 | ▼ −1.86% | ▼ −3.16% | $247.23 (+17.39%) |
Sep 30, 2026 26d ago | GOVT-CONTRACT | $210.61 $206.70 | ▼ −1.86% | ▼ −3.16% | $247.23 (+17.39%) |
Sep 25, 2026 4w ago | GOVT-CONTRACT | $173.08 $193.50 | ▲ +11.80% | ▲ +10.59% | $247.23 (+42.84%) |
Sep 18, 2026 5w ago | ANALYST-DOWNGRADE | $181.29 $176.11 | ▲ +2.86% | ▲ +4.13% | $247.23 (−36.37%) |
US Market Status
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