Stock Markets February 23, 2026

Consulting Stocks Look Cheap After Sector Selloff; Accenture, ICFI, Booz Allen Among Top Picks

Widespread fears over AI disruption and macro uncertainty have driven major consulting names to multi-year lows, creating value opportunities for long-term investors according to WarrenAI rankings

By Maya Rios ACN ICFI BAH FCN HURN
Consulting Stocks Look Cheap After Sector Selloff; Accenture, ICFI, Booz Allen Among Top Picks
ACN ICFI BAH FCN HURN

The consulting sector has suffered significant share-price weakness in 2026 as investor concerns about AI-driven disruption and broader economic uncertainty removed the industry’s valuation premium. Despite partnerships around AI and relatively stable cash flows for many firms, heavy selloffs have pushed several large consulting firms to deeply discounted levels. Using Investing Pro metrics and WarrenAI’s fair-value analyses, five consulting firms stand out for potential upside: Accenture, ICF International, Booz Allen Hamilton, FTI Consulting and Huron Consulting.

Key Points

  • Widespread AI disruption fears and macroeconomic uncertainty have driven major consulting stocks to multi-year lows.
  • WarrenAI’s Investing Pro analysis identifies Accenture, ICF International, Booz Allen Hamilton, FTI Consulting and Huron Consulting as top-ranked opportunities based on fair value, technicals and analyst targets.
  • The companies span profiles from defensive (FTI) to growth-oriented (Huron), offering differing risk/reward characteristics for investors.

Consulting stocks have been under pressure in 2026, with prominent firms seeing share prices fall to multi-year lows as investors fret over AI-related disruption and macroeconomic uncertainty. Even with ongoing AI partnerships and generally resilient cash generation across the sector, the market’s reassessment has eroded the premium investors historically applied to consulting businesses.

WarrenAI applied a suite of Investing Pro metrics - including fair-value estimates, Pro Scores, technical indicators, analyst price targets and other measures - to rank leading consulting names that now appear to offer compelling risk/reward profiles after the selloff.


Accenture (NYSE:ACN) - The AI Powerhouse

Accenture tops WarrenAI’s list despite a steep one-year decline of 39.6% that left the stock trading at $203.02, close to its 52-week low. The company’s forward price-to-earnings ratio sits at 15.2x, beneath its five-year average, while WarrenAI’s fair-value model implies 46.4% upside to $297.18. Accenture’s Investing Pro metrics show a Pro Score of 2.56 and technicals that include an oversold relative strength index of 29.45. Analyst consensus values the shares at $292.42, and recent analyst upgrades have highlighted accelerating AI-related revenues and significant partnerships. The firm’s strong balance sheet and a 21-year consecutive dividend record are cited as supporting its status as a leading risk/reward candidate within the sector.

ICF International (NASDAQGS:ICFI) - Quiet Value Leader

ICF International is identified as a value opportunity, trading at $75.96 roughly above its 52-week low with a WarrenAI fair value of $109.75, suggesting 44.5% upside. Among its peers, ICFI posts the lowest forward P/E at 11.7x and a PEG ratio of 0.87, indicators WarrenAI interprets as deep value. The stock carries a Pro Score of 2.51, a robust free cash flow yield of 7.3%, and a Strong Buy analyst consensus pointing to a $108.75 target. Over the past year, ICFI’s decline of 20.6% was milder than the sector’s larger drops.

Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH) - Contrarian Rebound Play

Booz Allen trades near its 52-week low at $74.94 and carries a WarrenAI fair value of $100.40, implying 34.0% upside. The stock’s forward P/E of 12.5x represents a notable discount relative to peers, and analysts place an average target of $106.82 on the shares. WarrenAI assigns BAH a Pro Score of 2.57, reflecting generally sound fundamentals, though the company faces short-term headwinds: negative EPS growth forecasts and a PEG ratio of -0.62. Management activity in cybersecurity—specifically a recent acquisition—positions Booz Allen as a speculative pick for investors willing to accept near-term volatility following a 29.5% one-year decline.

FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN) - Defensive Quality

FTI Consulting appears as a defensive option, trading at $157.48 against a fair-value estimate of $206.93 for 31.4% potential upside. The stock has shown resilience, declining only 1.9% over the past year. Valuation and risk metrics include a forward P/E of 18.1x and a beta of 0.08, underscoring low market volatility alongside steady cash generation. Analysts set a $177.50 price target for FTI, and WarrenAI’s Pro Score for the company stands at 2.30, slightly under the peer average.

Huron Consulting (NASDAQGS:HURN) - The Growth Outlier

Huron is the lone member of the group with a positive one-year return, up 6.3% and trading at $127.16. WarrenAI’s fair-value model places Huron at $155.26, indicating 22.1% upside. The firm posts the highest Pro Score in the cohort at 2.96 and carries strong growth expectations: consensus forecasts show EPS rising 36.2% for fiscal 2025. Huron’s PEG ratio is 0.90 and the forward P/E is 15.4x, metrics consistent with a growth-at-a-reasonable-price profile. Analyst coverage for Huron is sparser than for some peers, though an aggressive analyst target of $215.50 is noted.


WarrenAI’s ranking highlights how pronounced share price declines have exposed potential entry points across consulting companies with varying risk profiles - from the defensive to the growth-oriented. For investors, the metrics emphasize differences in valuation, technical setup and analyst expectations rather than predicting sector-wide outcomes.

Risks

  • Ongoing AI disruption concerns and broader macroeconomic uncertainty could continue to weigh on sector valuations - impacting consulting firms and related technology partnerships.
  • Company-specific headwinds, such as negative EPS growth forecasts and a negative PEG ratio at Booz Allen, present near-term earnings and valuation risks for that stock.
  • Thin analyst coverage for some names, notably Huron, increases uncertainty around consensus estimates and price targets, which may affect investor visibility and market reaction.

More from Stock Markets

Whirlpool Shares Slide After Announcement of $800 Million Equity Offering Feb 23, 2026 After-hours movers show mixed reactions as guidance, beats and misses drive flows Feb 23, 2026 Toronto benchmark edges down as tech, industrials and financials drag markets Feb 23, 2026 Mexican Stocks Retreat; S&P/BMV IPC Drops 1.21% as Industrials and Consumer Names Lead Declines Feb 23, 2026 U.S. equities finish lower as Financials, Consumer Services and Industrials lead declines Feb 23, 2026