Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Berenberg Bank

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) was upgraded by investment analysts at Berenberg Bank to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

ACN has been the subject of a number of other reports. HSBC boosted their price target on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.81.

Accenture Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $281.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $172.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $267.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $258.67. Accenture has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $398.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 1,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.30, for a total transaction of $488,380.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 37,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,766,851.80. This represents a 4.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mauro Macchi sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total value of $140,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 7,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,994,440. This trade represents a 6.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,674 shares of company stock valued at $5,661,414 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Investors Research Corp increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Accenture during the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 96.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Accenture

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.