Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target Raised to $195.00

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) had its price target increased by Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $195.00 in a research note released on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the information technology services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on ACN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $195.00 target price on Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Berenberg Bank dropped 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.59.

Accenture Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $199.17 on Friday. Accenture has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. The company’s 50 day moving average is $180.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.46. The company has a market cap of $133.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

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

Accenture declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Accenture by 33.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 30,041 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $3,738,000 after acquiring an additional 7,591 shares during the last quarter. Andra AP fonden increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 92.5% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 121,326 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $15,098,000 after purchasing an additional 58,300 shares during the period. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 8.3% during the second quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 172,023 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $21,406,000 after purchasing an additional 13,244 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 5.6% during the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,564,857 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $194,731,000 after purchasing an additional 82,362 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 5.2% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 15,708 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly beat: Fiscal fourth-quarter revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $18.68 billion, exceeding the $18.03 billion consensus estimate, while EPS of $3.29 topped expectations of $3.18. Accenture fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Bookings eased AI-disruption fears: Quarterly bookings reached $22.17 billion, up 4%, contributing to record fiscal-year bookings of approximately $84.5 billion. Management said AI demand is broadening into fiscal 2027, supported by large-scale reinvention projects and managed services. Accenture Q4 earnings call and AI demand
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive fiscal 2027 outlook: Accenture forecast 3%–6% revenue growth in local currency, a 15.9%–16.1% operating margin and $14.39–$14.81 in EPS. The company also plans roughly $5 billion of acquisitions, signaling continued investment in growth. Accenture fiscal 2027 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target increases: Argus raised its target to $260 with a Buy rating, while RBC lifted its target to $240 and upgraded the stock to Outperform. Truist also raised its target to $220, though it retained a Hold rating.
• Positive Sentiment: Higher shareholder returns: Accenture increased its quarterly dividend 4.9% to $1.71 per share, or $6.84 annually, representing a yield of about 3.4%.

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.