Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Reaches New 52-Week Low on Insider Selling

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $229.20 and last traded at $229.4890, with a volume of 2052395 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $240.86.

Specifically, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ACN shares. UBS Group downgraded shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Argus lowered their price objective on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Dbs Bank upgraded Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.38.

Accenture Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $267.59 and a 200-day moving average of $255.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the second quarter worth approximately $2,637,640,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth $2,146,995,000. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Accenture by 41.1% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Accenture by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $19,466,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $311,694,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

About Accenture

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.