Accenture (NYSE:ACN) COO Sells 1,320 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 Accenture shares for approximately $264,000 at $200 per share under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing her holdings by 9.51%.
• Accenture exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, with revenue up 6.2% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71, or $6.84 annually, and has authorized a $2 billion share-repurchase program; analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $219.15.

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE ACN traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $208.39. 4,876,220 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,004,745. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $118.15 and a 12-month high of $291.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $183.68 and a 200 day moving average of $173.44. The company has a market cap of $139.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.44%.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Accenture by 1.1% during the third quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 20,597 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $3,777,000 after buying an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 3.1% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 113,209 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $20,759,000 after acquiring an additional 3,357 shares in the last quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at $130,000. Balefire LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $270,000. Finally, Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,540,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ACN. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Accenture from $153.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price objective on Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.15.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s fiscal fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.29 versus the $3.18 consensus and revenue of $18.68 billion versus estimates of $18.03 billion. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, helping drive the recent rally. Accenture Could Be 30% Undervalued
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators increasingly view Accenture as an undervalued artificial-intelligence and enterprise-services beneficiary. The company’s AI-related work and enterprise momentum could convert elevated AI spending into longer-term revenue growth. Is Accenture the Market’s Most Overlooked AI Play?
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture increased its dividend by 4.91%, signaling continued confidence in cash generation. One dividend-focused analysis rated ACN highly and estimated substantial upside to fair value, although the increase was below the company’s five-year dividend-growth rate. Dividend Announcements
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Accenture as a strong momentum stock, reflecting improving price performance and investor interest following the earnings beat. Why Accenture Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor whether AI-driven efficiency and pricing pressure could reduce fees for consulting work. Management acknowledged lower pricing in several areas during the quarter, creating a potential risk to margins and future growth. What Would It Take for AI Price Cuts to Break Accenture Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares for approximately $264,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced her holdings by 9.51%, but its scheduled nature limits its significance as a bearish signal.

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.

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