Key Points
- Accenture COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares for approximately $149,968 at an average price of $214.24 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing her holdings by 5.58% to 11,856 shares.
- Accenture reported quarterly EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue increased 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share and has a $2 billion share-buyback authorization.
- Wall Street’s consensus rating remains “Hold”, with an average price target of $219.15; institutional investors own approximately 75.14% of the company’s stock.
Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total value of $149,968.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,540,029.44. This represents a 5.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Catherine Kiernan Hogan also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Thursday, October 8th, Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00.
Accenture Stock Down 0.7%
NYSE:ACN opened at $213.31 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $186.35 and a 200 day moving average of $173.80. The firm has a market cap of $142.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.11.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture's payout ratio is 48.08%.
Accenture declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth about $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Accenture by 120.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $690,475,000 after buying an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Accenture by 84.0% in the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $477,023,000 after buying an additional 1,097,961 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in Accenture by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $402,825,000 after buying an additional 885,687 shares during the period. Finally, Davis Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $92,086,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.
Accenture News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture and Workday launched a forward-deployed engineering program designed to help enterprises implement agentic AI and other advanced solutions more quickly. The initiative could support consulting demand and strengthen Accenture’s role in enterprise AI deployment. Accenture, Workday Launch Forward Deployed Engineering Program
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire U.K. customer-intelligence firm Sagacity Solutions for Accenture Song’s U.K. and Ireland operations. The deal is expected to expand AI-powered customer analytics and support the company’s broader strategy of using acquisitions to scale AI services. Accenture Acquires Sagacity Solutions
- Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its AI and cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic and deepened its Dell Technologies alliance to support private and sovereign AI infrastructure. These relationships could generate additional large-enterprise and public-sector opportunities. Accenture Deepens AI Push With New Deals
- Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings exceeded consensus estimates, with quarterly revenue up 6.2% year over year, while analysts continue to cite strong bookings, robust free cash flow and a comparatively low valuation as support for the stock. Unusual call-option activity also indicates increased bullish positioning. Accenture Valuation and Market Sentiment
- Neutral Sentiment: Attractive cash-flow and dividend characteristics may support long-term investors, but the unusually high free-cash-flow yield can also signal that the market expects weaker earnings or slower growth ahead. Accenture’s High Cash Yield
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that Accenture’s recent rally has outpaced its underlying growth, while cautious client spending and pricing pressure could limit further upside. Management’s fiscal 2027 outlook calls for only moderate revenue growth.
- Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The planned nature and relatively small size reduce its significance, but insider selling can still weigh modestly on sentiment. Accenture Insider Transaction
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
ACN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $153.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Citigroup increased their target price on Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Argus increased their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, William Blair lowered Accenture from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.15.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on ACN
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.
Further Reading
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