Key Points
- CEO John Walsh sold 3,986 shares on Jan. 27 at an average price of $276.38 for about $1.10 million, cutting his ownership by 12.77% to 27,221 shares (disclosed in an SEC filing).
- Multiple other senior executives also sold stock this week, a cluster of insider sales that likely added short‑term selling pressure and coincided with the shares trading down roughly 1.8%.
- Accenture reported an earnings beat (EPS $3.94 vs. $3.73) on $18.74B revenue, reiterated FY‑2026 guidance of $13.52–$13.90 EPS, and announced a $1.63 quarterly dividend (≈2.4% yield).
Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total transaction of $185,413.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,688 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,564,439.84. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Accenture Stock Performance
Shares of Accenture stock opened at $275.70 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $269.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $169.72 billion, a PE ratio of 22.78, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $229.40 and a 12 month high of $398.35.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The company had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.
Accenture Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Accenture's payout ratio is presently 53.88%.
Trending Headlines about Accenture
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture reported a quarterly earnings beat and reiterated FY‑2026 guidance (EPS 13.52–13.90). The results and guidance support the company's growth outlook and help underpin valuation. Earnings & guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Company announced a quarterly dividend ($1.63/quarter; $6.52 annualized; ~2.3% yield), sustaining shareholder returns and income appeal. Dividend announcement
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentaries highlight Accenture’s momentum, M&A activity and liquidity—Zacks pieces argue buyouts, talent investment and GenAI positioning bolster long‑term prospects. Zacks: Buyouts & liquidity
- Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $280 but kept a "hold" rating — a modest upward tweak that stops short of a buy signal. MarketScreener: Deutsche Bank PT
- Neutral Sentiment: Market consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target ~ $298 — indicates mixed analyst views and some upside but also variation in expectations. MarketBeat consensus
- Negative Sentiment: Cluster of insider stock sales by top executives: CEO John Walsh sold ~3,986 shares, CAO Melissa Burgum sold ~3,588 shares, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares, and General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares. Large, simultaneous insider sales can trigger investor concern about near‑term confidence and contributed to downward pressure. CEO Form 4
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sales reduce perceived insider ownership and may increase supply in the market; multiple filings in the past week amplify the signal to short‑term traders. CAO Form 4
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Dbs Bank raised shares of Accenture from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Accenture in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $317.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim upped their price target on Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Accenture to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $298.38.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on ACN
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter worth $2,637,640,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,216,850,000. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Accenture by 41.1% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Accenture by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $19,466,641,000 after buying an additional 1,315,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at approximately $311,694,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.
Accenture Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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