Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $211.06 and last traded at $215.4020, with a volume of 413806 shares. The stock had previously closed at $223.61.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ACN. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Dbs Bank upgraded Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

Accenture Stock Down 5.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $263.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.87. The company has a market cap of $130.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.24.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The business 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 business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.59 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Investors Research Corp boosted its position in Accenture by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Company Profile

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.