Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $296.8333.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Rothschild Redb cut Accenture from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed 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 target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th.

Accenture Price Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $271.35 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $167.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.26. 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 has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $398.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $256.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.34.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Accenture will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 53.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Accenture news, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total transaction of $1,725,569.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,860 shares in the company, valued at $465,018.60. This represents a 78.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value 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 $346,763.30. The trade was a 64.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 33,319 shares of company stock worth $8,335,225 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investors Research Corp increased its position 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Accenture in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Davis Capital Management purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 146.0% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 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.