Short Interest in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Decreases By 16.6%

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 11,696,294 shares, a drop of 16.6% from the November 30th total of 14,028,640 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,205,679 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,205,679 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN traded down $0.61 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $269.39. The company had a trading volume of 660,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,846,732. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.26. Accenture has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month high of $398.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $256.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.05.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. 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 business earned $3.59 earnings per share. Accenture’s 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 2.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total value of $1,725,569.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $465,018.60. This represents a 78.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at $346,763.30. This represents a 64.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,319 shares of company stock valued at $8,335,225. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investors Research Corp increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Accenture in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 146.0% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Accenture from $325.00 to $271.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Accenture from $348.00 to $309.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, September 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.83.

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.