Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $291.6923.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price objective on the stock.

Accenture Trading Down 2.7%

ACN stock opened at $209.18 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $247.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.32. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $188.73 and a fifty-two week high of $339.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.28.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.59 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts expect that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. The trade was a 12.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Investors Research Corp boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 73.8% during the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.