Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $297.20.

A number of research firms have commented on ACN. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $348.00 to $309.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $366,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 28,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,756,925. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of Accenture 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,868,888.12. This represents a 27.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 40,076 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,788. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ACN. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Investors Research Corp lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in Accenture during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $286.33 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $264.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $258.82. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $398.35. The firm has a market cap of $176.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.88%.

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.