Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $650.23.

INTU has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Intuit from $670.00 to $725.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Intuit from $670.00 to $725.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Intuit from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of Intuit in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Intuit from $735.00 to $745.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd.

Intuit Stock Performance

Shares of INTU stock opened at $632.43 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $177.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $636.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $608.45. Intuit has a 52 week low of $400.22 and a 52 week high of $671.01.

Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The software maker reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.39 billion. Intuit had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 17.51%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Intuit will post 11.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Intuit Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th were paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 9th. Intuit’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Intuit news, EVP Alex G. Balazs sold 280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $636.38, for a total transaction of $178,186.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Lauren D. Hotz sold 745 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $655.13, for a total transaction of $488,071.85. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,083,313.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Alex G. Balazs sold 280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $636.38, for a total transaction of $178,186.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,717 shares of company stock worth $3,117,156 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intuit

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of INTU. NewSquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Intuit in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Intuit during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Intuit in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. West Branch Capital LLC raised its position in Intuit by 79.2% in the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 43 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Intuit by 119.0% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 46 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.66% of the company’s stock.

Intuit Company Profile

Intuit Inc provides financial management and compliance products and services for consumers, small businesses, self-employed, and accounting professionals in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Small Business & Self-Employed, Consumer, Credit Karma, and ProTax.