15 Best S&P 500 Dividend Stocks to Buy in 2026

12. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 66

Dividend Yield as of January 21: 2.39%

On January 14, Wells Fargo analyst Jason Kupferberg raised Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN)’s price target to $275 from $251. It maintained an Equal Weight rating on the stock.

The firm said its IT Services CIO Survey points to a neutral to modestly positive demand backdrop for 2026. Wells Fargo expects growth to remain largely stable, with some potential upside if discretionary spending improves. The analyst also noted that AI will likely be a net tailwind to Services revenues.

On January 6, Accenture announced it has agreed to acquire Faculty, a UK-based AI-native services and products business. The company said the deal will strengthen its ability to help clients reinvent core and critical business processes using safe and secure AI solutions that deliver tangible outcomes.

Faculty was founded in 2014 and has worked with both public and private sector clients to deploy AI solutions in the U.K. and other key markets. Its services include AI strategy, AI safety, and the design, build, and implementation of high-performance AI systems, supporting the scaled and safe adoption of AI across organizations.

Once the transaction closes, Faculty’s team of more than 400 AI-native professionals, including data scientists and AI engineers, will integrate with Accenture’s teams to expand AI capabilities for clients.

Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a global professional services company, providing services and solutions across strategy and consulting, technology, operations, Industry X, and Song.