Insider Selling: Accenture (NYSE:ACN) CAO Sells $202,750.00 in Stock

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,455,000. This represents a 7.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Accenture Stock Up 7.8%

NYSE:ACN traded up $18.85 on Thursday, reaching $259.11. 8,296,433 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,082,834. The company has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. 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 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09. The company’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 posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business’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 posted $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $1.71 dividend. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after buying an additional 143,483 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 120.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch SE purchased a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter valued at $309,873,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in Accenture by 84.0% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $477,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,097,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Accenture by 24.3% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $472,913,000 after acquiring an additional 466,452 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture News Summary

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ACN shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Evercore set a $250.00 price objective on Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.52.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Accenture

Accenture Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Accenture (NYSE:ACN)

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