Company Update (NYSE:ACN): Accenture misses 1Q profit forecasts, revenue beats

[AP] – Accenture PLC on Thursday reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that missed Wall Street expectations, but topped revenue forecasts. Its shares fell more than 4 percent in midday trading. The Dublin-based … Read more on this. Accenture plc (ACN) , valued at $65.21B, started the session at $107.00. During the trading session, ACN traded between $103.36 to $108.50 with a one year range of $83.47 to $109.86. ACN shares are currently priced at 20.94x this year’s forecasted earnings, which makes them relatively expensive compared to the industry’s 8.45x forward p/e ratio. And for income investors, the company pays shareholders $2.20 per share annually in dividends, yielding 2.07%. According to a consensus of 24 analysts, the earnings estimate of $1.32 per share would be $0.03 better than the year-ago quarter and a $0.03 sequential decrease. Investors should also note that the full-year EPS estimate of $5.21 is a $0.39 improvement when compared to the previous year’s annual results. The quarterly earnings estimate is based on a consensus revenue forecast of the current quarter of $7.92 Billion. If realized, that would be a 0.25% increase over the year-ago quarter. Recently, Sun Trust Rbsn Humphrey Initiated ACN at Buy (Jul 16, 2015). Previously, Robert W. Baird downgraded ACN from Outperform to Neutral. The average price target for ACN shares by the analysts covering it is $109.32, which is 2.17% above where the stock opened. See more in (NYSE:ACN) Similar Articles: Market Update: Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) – Accenture (ACN) Stock Climbs Ahead of Earnings Results Company Update: Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) – Accenture Launches Advanced Analytics Applications for the Utilities, Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Metals and Mining Industries Stock Update: Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) – U.S. Health Systems to Increase Acquisitions of Clinics, Physician Practices and Digital Resources, Accenture Forecasts