Aberdeen Group plc Grows Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 916,107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 85,221 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Accenture were worth $227,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Running Oak Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 57,541 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $14,190,000 after buying an additional 7,190 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter worth approximately $2,658,000. C WorldWide Group Holding A S lifted its position in Accenture by 35.9% in the second quarter. C WorldWide Group Holding A S now owns 8,148 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,435,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,216,850,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 258,599 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $63,771,000 after buying an additional 38,325 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $224.03 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $266.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $254.78. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $215.16 and a twelve month high of $392.02. 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 company has a market capitalization of $137.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Big institutional backing: Value investor Ruane Cunniff has boosted Accenture to a ~3.95% weight in a portfolio, signaling conviction from a respected long-term manager and potentially supporting demand for the shares. Ruane Cunniff stake article
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend continuity and a long increase streak: Accenture paid $1.63 per share (Feb 13) and has more than 20 years of consecutive annual dividend increases — a positive for income-focused investors and a sign of cash-generation discipline. Dividend coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst view is modestly favorable: Analysts give ACN an average “Moderate Buy” rating, which suggests cautious optimism but not a broad consensus of strong upside. This supports steady interest but may limit dramatic upgrades. Analyst rating article
• Neutral Sentiment: Value/opportunity debate after big pullback: Commentary notes ACN is down ~40.9% year-over-year, prompting arguments that the stock may be an attractive entry for value-oriented investors if growth and margins stabilize. That narrative can attract bargain hunters but depends on fundamentals and guidance. Opportunity article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and a new 52-week low: The CEO recently sold about $1.46M of ACN stock, and reporting highlighted that the shares hit a new 52‑week low — developments that can spook some investors and amplify downside momentum. Insider selling article 52-week low article

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ACN shares. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Dbs Bank upgraded Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group lowered Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.38.

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.