First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 943,371 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 85.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,041,945 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 943,371 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Accenture were worth $503,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Investors Research Corp boosted its position in Accenture by 73.8% during the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the third 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 bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 146.0% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire Ookla (maker of Speedtest, Downdetector, RootMetrics) to bolster network intelligence and connectivity analytics — expands data assets for telco and enterprise network services. Accenture (ACN) To Accquire OoKla, the Company Behind Popular Speedtest Tool
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture bought advanced AI technology from Avanseus to improve predictive models, anomaly detection and automation for network operations — a capability play that supports higher-margin managed services. Accenture (ACN) Acquires Advanced AI Technology Solution From Avanseus
• Positive Sentiment: New collaboration with Mistral AI aims to accelerate enterprise-grade AI deployments — reinforces Accenture’s positioning as a systems integrator for generative/enterprise AI. Accenture Bets On Ookla And Mistral AI To Reinforce Client Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly said Accenture “shouldn’t be that low,” providing a sentiment boost and drawing retail attention to recent strategic buys. Jim Cramer on Accenture: “It shouldn’t be that low”
• Positive Sentiment: UBS called the Ookla deal a timely bet on AI-driven network intelligence, signaling positive institutional take on strategic fit. UBS sees Accenture’s Ookla deal as timely bet on AI-driven network intelligence
• Neutral Sentiment: Several outlets include ACN among top IT services or growth picks for 2026 (Zacks, Yahoo lists) — positive framing but less immediate impact than deal/earnings news. Buy 5 Computers IT Services Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank cut its price target to $230 from $280 and kept a “hold” rating, signaling lower near-term upside from that broker — pressure on sentiment despite strategic moves. Deutsche Bank Cuts Price Target On Accenture To $230 From $280, Keeps “Hold” Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Jensen Quality Growth Equity disclosed it sold Accenture in Q4 — a notable institutional reduction that may signal rotation away from ACN among some active managers. Jensen Quality Growth Equity Decided to Sell Accenture (ACN)
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha note argues Accenture’s AI narrative hasn’t yet translated into stronger growth expectations (FY26 guide implies modest revenue growth), keeping investor caution. Accenture: AI Story Isn’t Enough To Excite Investors Just Yet

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $217.12 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $248.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $250.70. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $188.73 and a fifty-two week high of $342.89. The company has a market capitalization of $133.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $366,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 28,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,756,925. The trade was a 4.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ACN. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $291.69.

Accenture Company 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.