Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock: Insider Melissa Burgum Sells 811 Shares

Key Points

• Accenture CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares at an average price of $250, totaling $202,750, under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. She retained 9,820 shares after the transaction.
• Accenture reported quarterly earnings of $3.29 per share and revenue of $18.68 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue increased 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71, implying a 2.6% yield.
• Despite strong results and a 7.8% share-price gain, analysts’ consensus rating remains Hold, with a $219.52 average price target versus the reported trading price near $259.

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was 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 owned 9,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,455,000. This trade represents a 7.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Accenture Trading Up 7.8%

Shares of ACN stock traded up $18.85 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $259.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,296,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,082,834. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $118.15 and a one year high of $291.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $194.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.64.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a positive change from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 50.44%.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 1.2% during the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 68,368 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $12,537,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 1.6% in the third quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 4,858 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $891,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Private Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 99.2% during the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,957 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 3,963 shares in the last quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.0% during the third quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 2,249 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBL Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at approximately $377,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ACN. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $252.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Accenture in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Accenture from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.52.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is partnering with Google Public Sector to develop Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The tools are intended to help government customers integrate generative AI into mission workflows and internal operations, potentially strengthening Accenture’s federal pipeline and AI credentials. What Is Accenture Signaling With Its Federal AI Push and China Review?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus a $3.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while strong bookings helped drive investor optimism. These 3 Stocks Surged Following Strong Quarterly Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing strategic options for its Greater China operations, including a possible divestiture. A sale could simplify the portfolio and reduce geopolitical exposure, but the review also highlights uncertainty around the region.
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reaffirmed its Neutral rating while raising its price target to $252 from $245. The higher target acknowledges recent momentum, but remains below the referenced trading level. Baird Downgrades Accenture to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, arguing that shares had nearly doubled from their June low and that the valuation now reflects slower growth prospects. This may limit further upside unless growth accelerates. Accenture Stock Gets Downgraded as the Good News May Already Be Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares worth approximately $1.43 million, reducing his reported ownership by 83%. Insider sales are not necessarily a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but the transaction can weigh modestly on sentiment.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.

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