Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. HSBC upped their target price on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.38.

Accenture Trading Up 0.2%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $261.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $132.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.24.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.59 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. The trade was a 12.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total value 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. This represents a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Investors Research Corp grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Accenture by 132.6% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

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.