Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• 52-week low: Accenture shares fell to a new one-year low of $173.56 and last traded around $179.10, trading well below its 50‑day ($195.74) and 200‑day ($235.35) moving averages on heavy volume.
• Analyst outlook: Despite the slide, consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $274.50 (17 Buys vs. 10 Holds), reflecting a sizeable gap between analyst targets and the current share price.
• Fundamentals and payouts: Accenture beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.93 vs. $2.84; revenue $18.04B, up 7.8% year‑over‑year) and announced a $1.63 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.52, ~3.6% yield).

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $173.56 and last traded at $179.0970, with a volume of 5132927 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $180.12.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ACN shares. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 target price on Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $230.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Accenture in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Accenture from $309.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $274.50.

Accenture Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $119.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $195.74 and a 200 day moving average of $235.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.Accenture's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 13.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was 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 $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SteelPeak Wealth LLC bought a new position in Accenture in the first quarter valued at about $2,623,000. Independent Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Accenture in the first quarter valued at about $212,000. Enterprise Financial Services Corp grew its position in Accenture by 9.0% in the first quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 2,574 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $510,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Accenture by 0.8% in the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,993 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,180,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the first quarter worth about $39,666,000. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.