Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock: Insider Catherine Kiernan Hogan Sells 700 Shares

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total transaction of $149,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,540,029.44. This trade represents a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Catherine Kiernan Hogan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 8th, Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00.

Accenture Price Performance

NYSE ACN traded down $1.56 on Tuesday, hitting $213.31. 6,309,064 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,998,098. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $185.50 and a 200-day moving average of $173.65. The stock has a market cap of $142.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.11. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 48.08%.

Accenture announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after purchasing an additional 143,483 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 120.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch SE purchased a new position in Accenture in the second quarter valued at approximately $309,873,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 84.0% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $477,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in Accenture by 24.3% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $472,913,000 after purchasing an additional 466,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $153.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.15.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture acquired Sagacity Solutions, a UK customer-intelligence company, to expand AI-driven customer services across Accenture Song’s UK and Ireland operations. The deal could strengthen the company’s AI capabilities and support cross-selling opportunities. Accenture Acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and research commentary point to AI momentum, strategic acquisitions, strong cash flow and a relatively discounted valuation as reasons to remain constructive on ACN. Accenture is targeting at least $11 billion in free cash flow and more than $9.5 billion for dividends and share repurchases in fiscal 2027. Accenture Valuation and Market Sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicates increased speculative bullish interest, with approximately 58,099 calls purchased versus typical volume of about 16,712 contracts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture’s shares have surged roughly 60% over three months following earnings and guidance updates, prompting investors to reassess whether the rally already reflects much of the AI opportunity. Accenture Stock Rally Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching upcoming company-related events and analyst commentary for evidence that AI demand is translating into faster revenue growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns remain about cautious client spending, pricing pressure and fiscal 2027 revenue growth of approximately 3% to 6%. These issues could limit earnings acceleration despite AI demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Operating Officer John Walsh reportedly sold approximately $264,000 of ACN stock, a modest insider transaction but a potential short-term sentiment headwind. Accenture Insider Sale

About Accenture

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.