Accenture's (ACN) fiscal Q2 financial results were "solid" and ahead of analyst expectations, but its fiscal Q3 guidance missed estimates, RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a Thursday note.
Accenture expects fiscal 2026 spending trends to remain similar to a year earlier, which RBC analysts note is a negative point in the debate on incremental technology spending tied to artificial intelligence, compared with a shift in spending.
RBC said the company is executing its AI strategy by hiring 85,000 AI and data professionals, ahead of its goal of 80,000 personnel by the end of fiscal 2026.
Analysts said that a positive from Accenture's quarterly report was that it recorded "solid" bookings of $22.11 billion.
In its earnings call, Accenture said that revenue from its top ten ecosystem partners outpaced overall growth, and that it expects fiscal 2026 bookings from its key AI and data ecosystem partners to double from a year earlier, according to RBC.
RBC retained an outperform rating on the stock but lowered its price target to $253 from $295.
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