Key Points
- Accenture COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares for approximately $264,000, reducing her direct holdings by 9.51%. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
- Accenture exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.29 versus the $3.18 consensus and revenue of $18.68 billion, up 6.2% year over year.
- The company authorized a $2 billion share-buyback program and increased its quarterly dividend to $1.71. Analysts remain mixed, with an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $219.15.
Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Accenture Price Performance
Shares of ACN opened at $208.39 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $184.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09. The company has a market cap of $139.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.11.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.
Accenture Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 48.08%.
Institutional Trading of Accenture
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACN. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 134.8% in the 1st quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 57.9% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 147.1% during the second 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 during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
ACN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. William Blair lowered shares of Accenture from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a "reduce" rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.15.
Read Our Latest Report on Accenture
Accenture News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s fiscal fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.29 versus the $3.18 consensus and revenue of $18.68 billion versus estimates of $18.03 billion. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, helping drive the recent rally. Accenture Could Be 30% Undervalued
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators increasingly view Accenture as an undervalued artificial-intelligence and enterprise-services beneficiary. The company’s AI-related work and enterprise momentum could convert elevated AI spending into longer-term revenue growth. Is Accenture the Market’s Most Overlooked AI Play?
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture increased its dividend by 4.91%, signaling continued confidence in cash generation. One dividend-focused analysis rated ACN highly and estimated substantial upside to fair value, although the increase was below the company’s five-year dividend-growth rate. Dividend Announcements
- Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Accenture as a strong momentum stock, reflecting improving price performance and investor interest following the earnings beat. Why Accenture Is a Strong Momentum Stock
- Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor whether AI-driven efficiency and pricing pressure could reduce fees for consulting work. Management acknowledged lower pricing in several areas during the quarter, creating a potential risk to margins and future growth. What Would It Take for AI Price Cuts to Break Accenture Stock?
- Neutral Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares for approximately $264,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced her holdings by 9.51%, but its scheduled nature limits its significance as a bearish signal.
Accenture Company Profile
(
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Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.
The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.
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