Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Trading 4.8% Higher – Here’s Why

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) traded up 4.8% on Friday . The company traded as high as $144.61 and last traded at $145.4060. Approximately 875,278 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 7,210,882 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACN. Weiss Ratings downgraded Accenture from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. TD Cowen lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $258.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $226.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.96.

Accenture Trading Up 6.0%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 52.08%.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 96.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.