Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock: Insider Melissa Burgum Sells 811 Shares

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,000. This represents a 7.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Accenture Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $249.42 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $196.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.15. 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 PLC has a twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09. The stock has a market cap of $147.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 50.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ACN. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Truist Financial raised their price target on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.52.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s consensus price target reportedly increased 12.22% to $238.14, while a bullish analysis projects an additional 23% total return through December 2027. These updates suggest some analysts continue to see upside from the company’s AI and digital-transformation growth. Accenture consensus price target increased Accenture total return analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is working with Google Public Sector on Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The initiative could expand Accenture’s government AI pipeline and reinforce its position as a generative-AI implementation partner. Accenture federal AI push
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results surpassed expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus $3.18 expected and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue grew 6.2% year over year, and Accenture also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing options for its Greater China business, potentially including a divestiture. A sale could reduce geopolitical exposure and simplify operations, but the review introduces uncertainty about the region’s future contribution.
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, citing the stock’s sharp rebound and concern that the valuation already reflects much of the expected growth. Baird maintained a $252 price target, offering limited upside relative to recent trading levels. Baird downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold approximately $1.43 million of stock, reducing his direct holdings by 83%, while Chief Accounting Officer Melissa Burgum sold $202,750 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Planned sales do not necessarily signal weaker fundamentals, but the transactions may weigh on sentiment.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at $224,000. Radnor Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 14,394 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 3,330 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 13,757 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 2,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BG Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,943,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

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.