Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Intuit Inc. has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from 24 research firms, with a consensus 12-month target price of $806.27.
• Recent price target increases from analysts include Barclays raising theirs to $815.00 and Oppenheimer boosting it to $868.00.
• Insider transactions show notable selling activity, with CAO Lauren D. Hotz and CFO Sandeep Aujla selling a significant number of shares, reflecting a 77%+ decrease in their ownership stakes.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $806.27.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $815.00 price objective (up previously from $775.00) on shares of Intuit in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Intuit from $742.00 to $868.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. CLSA assumed coverage on shares of Intuit in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $900.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Intuit from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Intuit from $730.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Lauren D. Hotz sold 1,738 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $784.09, for a total transaction of $1,362,748.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $356,760.95. The trade was a 79.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sandeep Aujla sold 2,591 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $782.22, for a total transaction of $2,026,732.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $600,744.96. The trade was a 77.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 279,800 shares of company stock worth $209,725,054 in the last quarter. 2.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intuit

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Intuit during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Intuit in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Intuit by 111.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 36 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intuit during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Intuit by 1,566.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 50 shares of the software maker's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.66% of the company's stock.

Intuit Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ INTU opened at $776.15 on Friday. Intuit has a 52-week low of $532.65 and a 52-week high of $813.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market cap of $216.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $767.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $661.74.

Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The software maker reported $11.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.89 by $0.76. Intuit had a net margin of 19.07% and a return on equity of 21.46%. The business had revenue of $7.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.88 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Intuit will post 14.09 EPS for the current year.

Intuit Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. Intuit's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.77%.

Intuit Company Profile

Intuit Inc provides financial management and compliance products and services for consumers, small businesses, self-employed, and accounting professionals in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Small Business & Self-Employed, Consumer, Credit Karma, and ProTax.

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