Accenture (NYSE:ACN) COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan Sells 1,320 Shares of Stock

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Accenture Trading Up 0.0%

ACN stock traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $208.39. The stock had a trading volume of 4,876,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,004,745. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $183.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $139.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $118.15 and a 12-month high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are 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 paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 50.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Dbs Bank cut shares of Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.15.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $7,583,462,000 after acquiring an additional 129,610 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Accenture by 2.2% in the first 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 purchasing an additional 143,483 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,393,818 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,447,161,000 after buying an additional 63,760 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 120.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $690,475,000 after buying an additional 1,899,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flossbach Von Storch SE purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at about $309,873,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Accenture News

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

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.