Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $721.61.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on INTU shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on Intuit from $760.00 to $726.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $760.00 price target on shares of Intuit in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Intuit from $760.00 to $714.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BNP Paribas cut Intuit from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $530.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Intuit from $795.00 to $725.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

Insider Transactions at Intuit

In other news, CAO Lauren D. Hotz sold 1,078 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $619.28, for a total transaction of $667,583.84. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,864 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,154,337.92. This trade represents a 36.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Scott D. Cook sold 73,655 shares of Intuit stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $664.94, for a total value of $48,976,155.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,301,286 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,189,977,112.84. This represents a 1.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 220,811 shares of company stock valued at $142,391,012 over the last 90 days. 2.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intuit

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of INTU. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Intuit in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,290,419,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Intuit by 112,233.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,063,794 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $668,595,000 after buying an additional 1,062,847 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Intuit by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,072,021 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $1,930,765,000 after buying an additional 771,232 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Intuit by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,296,921 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $3,329,115,000 after purchasing an additional 620,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Unisphere Establishment grew its stake in Intuit by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Unisphere Establishment now owns 1,500,000 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $942,750,000 after purchasing an additional 500,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.66% of the company’s stock.

Intuit Price Performance

Shares of INTU stock opened at $609.61 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $602.28 and its 200-day moving average is $625.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.42 billion, a PE ratio of 59.19, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.27. Intuit has a 52 week low of $553.24 and a 52 week high of $714.78.

Intuit Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Intuit’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.81%.

Intuit Company Profile

Intuit Inc provides financial management and compliance products and services for consumers, small businesses, self-employed, and accounting professionals in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Small Business & Self-Employed, Consumer, Credit Karma, and ProTax.