Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock: Insider Catherine Kiernan Hogan Sells 700 Shares

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total transaction of $149,968.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,540,029.44. This represents a 5.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Catherine Kiernan Hogan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 8th, Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN stock opened at $214.51 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $143.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.43. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $118.15 and a 52-week high of $291.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.93.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after purchasing an additional 143,483 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Accenture by 120.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after buying an additional 1,899,305 shares in the last quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter valued at $309,873,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 84.0% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $477,023,000 after buying an additional 1,097,961 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Accenture by 24.3% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $472,913,000 after buying an additional 466,452 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined multi-year growth and margin targets through fiscal 2029. The plan reassured investors that the company expects sustained demand despite a cautious consulting market. Accenture growth targets
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised Accenture’s quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, supporting shareholder returns and signaling confidence in cash generation. The company also highlighted its share-repurchase activity. Accenture dividend hike and AI deals
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI and cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic, deepened its Dell alliance for private and sovereign AI infrastructure, and launched a forward-deployed engineering program with Workday. These initiatives could increase enterprise AI implementation revenue. Accenture expands AI partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: The acquisition of U.K. customer-intelligence company Sagacity Solutions is intended to scale AI-powered customer analytics across Accenture Song’s U.K. and Ireland operations, strengthening the company’s AI services portfolio. Accenture acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat estimates, with revenue up 6.2% year over year, while Accenture’s valuation and free-cash-flow yield appear attractive. However, the discounted valuation may reflect investor concerns about slower future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that cautious client spending, pricing pressure and reliance on acquisitions could limit upside. Investors also remain focused on whether AI investment will translate into higher margins and accelerated organic growth.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The relatively small, scheduled transaction is unlikely to materially alter the investment case but may weigh modestly on sentiment. Accenture insider transaction

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Evercore set a $250.00 target price on shares of Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.15.

About Accenture

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.