Ballentine Partners LLC Sells 2,857 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Ballentine Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 15.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,804 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 2,857 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,897,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,637,640,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,216,850,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Accenture by 2.1% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $19,466,641,000 after buying an additional 1,315,548 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 12.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,502,446,000 after buying an additional 1,148,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth $308,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 5,917 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.62, for a total transaction of $1,459,250.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 8,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,685.38. This represents a 40.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $366,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,934 shares of company stock valued at $5,965,166. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ACN. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture reported a quarterly earnings beat and reiterated FY‑2026 guidance (EPS 13.52–13.90). The results and guidance support the company’s growth outlook and help underpin valuation. Earnings & guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a quarterly dividend ($1.63/quarter; $6.52 annualized; ~2.3% yield), sustaining shareholder returns and income appeal. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentaries highlight Accenture’s momentum, M&A activity and liquidity—Zacks pieces argue buyouts, talent investment and GenAI positioning bolster long‑term prospects. Zacks: Buyouts & liquidity
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $280 but kept a “hold” rating — a modest upward tweak that stops short of a buy signal. MarketScreener: Deutsche Bank PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Market consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target ~ $298 — indicates mixed analyst views and some upside but also variation in expectations. MarketBeat consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Cluster of insider stock sales by top executives: CEO John Walsh sold ~3,986 shares, CAO Melissa Burgum sold ~3,588 shares, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares, and General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares. Large, simultaneous insider sales can trigger investor concern about near‑term confidence and contributed to downward pressure. CEO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales reduce perceived insider ownership and may increase supply in the market; multiple filings in the past week amplify the signal to short‑term traders. CAO Form 4

Accenture Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE:ACN opened at $275.70 on Wednesday. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $398.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $269.29 and its 200-day moving average is $258.00. The firm has a market cap of $169.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 53.88%.

Accenture 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.