Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $298.2917.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ACN. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $300.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $355.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Accenture from $348.00 to $309.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 29th.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $270.08 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $254.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $262.74. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $398.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total transaction of $623,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $346,763.30. This represents a 64.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.57, for a total transaction of $2,246,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 23,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,868,888.12. The trade was a 27.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 33,319 shares of company stock worth $8,335,225 in the last ninety days. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Investors Research Corp raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Accenture by 132.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Accenture in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.