Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $717.53.

INTU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Intuit from $800.00 to $735.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. HSBC raised shares of Intuit from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $699.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Intuit in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Intuit from $730.00 to $720.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Intuit from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $600.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 17th.

Insider Activity at Intuit

In related news, EVP Laura A. Fennell sold 8,163 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $612.46, for a total transaction of $4,999,510.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 21,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,401,849.72. This represents a 27.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Marianna Tessel sold 7,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.13, for a total value of $4,431,960.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 40,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,119,224.70. This trade represents a 15.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 23,696 shares of company stock valued at $14,347,731. 2.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intuit

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. True North Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Intuit by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Great Diamond Partners LLC grew its holdings in Intuit by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 627 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Intuit by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 83 shares of the software maker's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Intuit by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 760 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Intuit by 72.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 43 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 83.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Intuit Price Performance

Shares of INTU stock opened at $596.05 on Thursday. Intuit has a twelve month low of $532.65 and a twelve month high of $714.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $592.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $615.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $166.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.25.

Intuit Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. Intuit's 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.

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