Analyst firm William Blair downgraded Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to 'Market Perform' on June 18, 2026. Accenture is a global company that provides consulting and technology services. At the time of the rating change, Accenture's stock price was $126.67, reflecting growing concerns about its near-term performance.
The downgrade followed a significant market reaction to Accenture's recent earnings report. As highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, shares fell by 17% after the company issued a weaker-than-expected revenue outlook. The CEO also announced that the IT consulting firm expects to generate less revenue than previously anticipated.
This outlook overshadowed Accenture's mixed fiscal third-quarter 2026 results. While its revenue of $18.72 billion fell just short of the $18.75 billion consensus estimate, its earnings per share (EPS) of $3.80 surpassed analysts' estimates of $3.69. EPS shows how much profit is made per share.
Despite the weak forecast, the company reported some strong underlying performance. Revenue grew by 6% in U.S. dollars to $18.72 billion, and its operating margin expanded to 17%. The operating margin is a key indicator of how efficiently a company runs its main business activities before taxes.
Accenture is also making strategic moves for future growth. It is expanding into the estimated $240 billion mid-market segment with a new service. Additionally, the company generated a robust free cash flow of $3.60 billion and returned $2.20 billion to its shareholders through repurchases and dividends.
