** Consultancy firm Accenture ACN.N reported second straight drop in quarterly new bookings on Friday and unveiled an organizational revamp to bolster its AI consulting services, as cutback in U.S. government spending and economic uncertainty pressure growth

** Average recommendation of 25 brokerages is "buy", median PT is $355 - data compiled by LSEG

GEN AI & GOVERNMENT TIES ANCHOR FUTURE GROWTH

** RBC Capital Markets ("outperform," PT: $372) says co's shares are under pressure due to decline in bookings, but sees several positives, including continued momentum in GenAI bookings and revenue

** JP Morgan ("overweight," PT: $334) says main concerns aren't alarming; bookings are lumpy but backlog is strong, headcount cuts support margins, and slower margin growth reflects reinvestment

** Additionally, JPM sees long-term GenAI potential and early signs of recovery in discretionary spending, supported by backlog conversion

** Morningstar (fair value: $311) believes agentic AI-oriented demand from enterprises should fuel stable long-term growth for ACN

** ACN "remains an important technology partner to the US federal government", adds Morningstar

** TD Cowen ("buy," PT: $342) says, while GenAI activity at ACN continues to grow, the pace has slowed q/q, and "lack of recovery in co's overall business leaves bear case fears around GenAI hard to disprove"

(Reporting by Akriti Shah in Bengaluru)

((akriti.shah@thomsonreuters.com))