Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Stock Has Average Target Price of $219.26

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $221.07.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ACN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen upped their price target on Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,338.96. This trade represents a 83.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. The trade was a 37.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527 in the last three months. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ACN. IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 134.8% in the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 57.9% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 147.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 38.0% during the 1st quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 218 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN opened at $235.27 on Wednesday. Accenture has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $198.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $192.91.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (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. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Accenture will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.