Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Stock Now Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is neutral: 27 research firms give Accenture an average “Hold” rating—17 holds and 10 buys—with an average 12-month price target of $221.07.
• Accenture beat quarterly estimates: It reported EPS of $3.29 versus $3.18 expected and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion, with revenue up 6.2% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend: The quarterly payout increased from $1.63 to $1.71 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend of $6.84 and a 2.7% yield.

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $221.07.

Several equities analysts recently commented on ACN shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 target price on Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th.

Accenture Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Accenture stock traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $250.80. 3,400,376 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,925,131. The firm has a market cap of $148.23 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. Accenture has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09. The stock's fifty day moving average is $216.73 and its 200 day moving average is $191.22.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Accenture will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th were given a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture's payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $2,700,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 5,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,618,920. The trade was a 62.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,455,000. The trade was a 7.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 18,675 shares of company stock valued at $4,747,563 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in 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 valued at $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in Accenture by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 6,054,682 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,110,247,000 after purchasing an additional 912,506 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 67.6% during the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $402,825,000 after buying an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in Accenture by 319.2% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,001,809 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $183,702,000 after acquiring an additional 762,827 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.

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