Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $193.1852.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ACN. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, June 8th.

Accenture Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $135.19 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $160.28 and a 200 day moving average of $203.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.13. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The company had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Accenture will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 52.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their position. The transaction 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. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 147.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.