Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Hits New 12-Month Low Following Insider Selling

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $229.20 and last traded at $229.4890, with a volume of 2052395 shares. The stock had previously closed at $240.86.

Specifically, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ACN. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.38.

Accenture Stock Down 4.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $268.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $255.54.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.59 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,070,930 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $17,726,831,000 after purchasing an additional 854,361 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Accenture by 0.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,135,065 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $6,938,156,000 after buying an additional 118,460 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,687,867,000 after buying an additional 343,420 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,656,436 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $3,922,212,000 after acquiring an additional 218,719 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,693,994 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,869,199,000 after acquiring an additional 546,198 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Accenture

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.