Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) Director Paula Price acquired 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $249.81 per share, for a total transaction of $199,848.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,361 shares in the company, valued at $2,338,471.41. The trade was a 9.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Accenture Stock Performance
Shares of ACN opened at $243.99 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $199.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.72. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $118.15 and a 52-week high of $291.09. The firm has a market cap of $144.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Accenture Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.44%.
Trending Headlines about Accenture
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: CEO Julie Sweet purchased 12,200 shares for approximately $3.0 million at an average price of $245.99, increasing her direct ownership by 33.2%. Director Paula Price separately bought 800 shares for about $199,848 at $249.81. The purchases may signal that company insiders view Accenture’s recent valuation and outlook favorably. Accenture CEO Buys $3 Million of Stock After Shares Double Off June Lows
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture won a $151 million U.S. Air Force missile-engineering contract, adding to its government-services backlog and reinforcing demand for its engineering and technology expertise. Accenture wins $151M Air Force missile engineering contract
- Positive Sentiment: The company launched a Physical AI Safety Suite with TÜV SÜD and NVIDIA for testing and certifying autonomous systems used in factories and warehouses. Its new Center of Excellence could help Accenture capture growing industrial AI implementation opportunities. Accenture Launches Physical AI Safety Suite
- Positive Sentiment: UBS initiated or reiterated a Buy rating, while a separate investment thesis highlighted potential for valuation recovery, dividend growth and continued upside relative to CTSH and IBM. Accenture Gets a Buy from UBS
- Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is among the most-searched stocks on Zacks, increasing visibility but not necessarily indicating buying demand or a change in fundamentals. Investors Heavily Search Accenture
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks identifies ACN as a long-term value stock, adding support to the view that the shares remain attractive following the company’s recent earnings beat and revenue growth. Why Accenture Is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.07.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Accenture
Institutional Trading of Accenture
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Accenture by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,078,000 after buying an additional 143,483 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in 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 valued at $690,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new position in Accenture in the second quarter valued at approximately $309,873,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,097,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 24.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 466,452 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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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