Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) Short Interest Update

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 15,216,275 shares, a growth of 24.5% from the January 29th total of 12,224,283 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 6,520,007 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 6,520,007 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $293.62.

Accenture Stock Up 0.8%

Accenture stock opened at $211.54 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $130.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. Accenture has a fifty-two week low of $188.73 and a fifty-two week high of $348.80. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $251.17.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire Ookla and the broader Connectivity assets for $1.2B to add network intelligence (Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector) to its data/AI stack — a clear strategic bet to help clients monitor and optimize connectivity for AI deployments. Accenture to Acquire Ookla (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a collaboration with Mistral AI to help clients deploy enterprise-grade GenAI — a complementary move that supports revenue growth in Accenture’s fast-growing AI services line. Accenture Bets On Ookla And Mistral AI (Yahoo)
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts framed the Ookla purchase as a timely strategic bet on AI-driven network intelligence, supporting the narrative that the deal strengthens Accenture’s competitive positioning in enterprise AI services. UBS Sees Accenture’s Ookla Deal (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction: shares jumped intraday after the deal was announced, reflecting the market’s view that the assets are strategically valuable even as ACN remains well off prior highs. Accenture Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Ziff Davis’s sale validates the standalone value of the connectivity assets (MarketBeat coverage), explaining why Accenture paid a premium and why the acquisition could be accretive to its service offerings. Ziff Davis’s $1.2B Deal (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks) highlights Accenture as a value play given recent price weakness and solid fundamentals, but notes investors should weigh growth vs. current valuation. Here’s Why Accenture is a Strong Value Stock (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting risks: ACN has faced a sizable valuation reset (shares well below 52-week highs) amid “AI panic” narratives; slower near-term operating income and trimmed FCF guidance have left the stock vulnerable to sentiment swings and integration/execution risk for the new assets. AI Panic Has Crushed Accenture (Seeking Alpha)

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other Accenture news, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,688 shares in the company, valued at $3,564,439.84. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Accenture

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Investors Research Corp lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

About Accenture

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.