Barclays PLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Barclays PLC lessened its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,667,735 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 76,262 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $411,263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Investors Research Corp lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 73.8% during the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Accenture by 132.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 146.0% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter worth $32,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total value of $289,024.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 27,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was 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 $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to buy Ookla (Speedtest) and other connectivity assets from Ziff Davis for about $1.2B, strengthening its network‑intelligence capabilities that feed enterprise AI and connectivity services. Accenture Bets On Ookla And Mistral AI To Reinforce Client Demand
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts framed the Ookla deal as a timely, strategic bet on AI-driven network intelligence — a positive signal for Accenture’s ability to sell higher‑value connectivity and analytics solutions. UBS sees Accenture’s Ookla deal as timely bet on AI-driven network intelligence
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture acquired an advanced AI technology solution from Avanseus (cloud‑native AI models for prediction/anomaly detection), expanding its IP and productized AI offerings that can be monetized across clients. Accenture (ACN) Acquires Advanced AI Technology Solution From Avanseus
• Positive Sentiment: Media/analyst roundups (Zacks, Yahoo) are including ACN in 2026 “must‑own” IT services lists — citing cloud, AI and cybersecurity spending tailwinds — which supports investor sentiment and demand for the stock. Buy 5 Computers IT Services Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative valuation pieces (ACN vs. Jack Henry) and Zacks style‑score writeups highlight Accenture’s mix of value and growth traits — useful context for investors but not an immediate catalyst. ACN or JKHY: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha publishes a cautious ‘Hold’ view: FY26 guidance implies only ~2–5% revenue growth, consulting revenue pressure, and a risk that AI-driven automation could reduce billable hours in some segments — a potential headwind to near‑term revenue and sentiment. Accenture: AI Story Isn’t Enough To Excite Investors Just Yet

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ACN shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on Accenture in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.62.

Accenture Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $215.24 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $188.73 and a 1-year high of $347.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $132.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $249.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.92.

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, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.59 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

About Accenture

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.