Shares of Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN) are down 1.3% to trade at $235.99 at last glance, brushing off better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter amid a rise in bookings for generative AI services. The company issued a lackluster fiscal 2026 sales outlook despite also revealing a six-month, $865 million restructuring plan to meet rising AI demand.
The shares have also been struggling to distance themselves from a Sept. 19, four-year low of $238.59 amid overhead pressure from the 20-day moving average, while the $260 level emerged as an added resistance layer in mid-August. Year-to-date, the equity is down 29.7%.
Analysts lean bullish on Accenture stock, with 14 of the 23 firms in coverage sporting a "buy" or better rating. Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus target objective of $302.66 is a healthy 28.5% premium to the stock's current levels.
Options traders are chiming in, with 11,000 calls and 9,311 puts exchanged so far, which is triple the intraday average volume. The most popular contract is the weekly 9/26 240-strike call, where new positions are opening.
It's also worth noting that Accenture stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) sits at 87 out of 100. This means ACN has tended to outperform volatility expectations in the past year.
