Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) shares gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $266.79, but opened at $249.44. Accenture shares last traded at $248.2010, with a volume of 854,462 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ACN shares. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price target on Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

Accenture Trading Down 10.2%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $270.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $257.60. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $147.43 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 53.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,934 shares of company stock valued at $5,965,166. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Accenture

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ACN. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Accenture by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 878 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 0.8% during the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 4,902 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,465,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 3.5% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,214 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. grew its holdings in Accenture by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. now owns 4,416 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Company Profile

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.