Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) Director Paula Price bought 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $249.81 per share, for a total transaction of $199,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,338,471.41. This trade represents a 9.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Accenture Stock Performance
Shares of ACN opened at $243.99 on Thursday. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09. The company has a market cap of $144.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $199.96 and a 200-day moving average of $192.72.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue 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, equities analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.
Accenture Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $1.71 dividend. This is a positive change from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 50.44%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in 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 period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $309,873,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 84.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,097,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 24.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 466,452 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.
More Accenture News
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 Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts have commented on ACN shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Accenture from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Mizuho raised their target price on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 target price on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.07.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Accenture
About Accenture
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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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