Accenture PLC (ACN) – What Are Researchers Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have given a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $219.52.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ACN. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Argus increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 134.8% in the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Accenture by 57.9% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its stake in Accenture by 38.0% in the 1st quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 218 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Accenture in the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $249.42 on Wednesday. Accenture has a twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $196.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.99. The stock has a market cap of $147.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.39, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Accenture will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.44%.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s consensus price target reportedly increased 12.22% to $238.14, while a bullish analysis projects an additional 23% total return through December 2027. These updates suggest some analysts continue to see upside from the company’s AI and digital-transformation growth. Accenture consensus price target increased Accenture total return analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is working with Google Public Sector on Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The initiative could expand Accenture’s government AI pipeline and reinforce its position as a generative-AI implementation partner. Accenture federal AI push
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results surpassed expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus $3.18 expected and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue grew 6.2% year over year, and Accenture also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing options for its Greater China business, potentially including a divestiture. A sale could reduce geopolitical exposure and simplify operations, but the review introduces uncertainty about the region’s future contribution.
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, citing the stock’s sharp rebound and concern that the valuation already reflects much of the expected growth. Baird maintained a $252 price target, offering limited upside relative to recent trading levels. Baird downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold approximately $1.43 million of stock, reducing his direct holdings by 83%, while Chief Accounting Officer Melissa Burgum sold $202,750 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Planned sales do not necessarily signal weaker fundamentals, but the transactions may weigh on sentiment.

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.