Accenture Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ACN)

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 136,649 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 855% compared to the average volume of 14,313 call options.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of Accenture stock traded up $0.46 on Monday, hitting $281.13. 4,086,069 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,187,442. Accenture has a 12-month low of $229.40 and a 12-month high of $398.35. 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 $173.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $260.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.34.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Analysts expect that Accenture will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total transaction of $1,725,569.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $465,018.60. This represents a 78.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $366,300.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 28,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,756,925. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 35,151 shares of company stock valued at $8,841,525 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ACN. Investors Research Corp grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Accenture to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 11th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $295.84.

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.