CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC Reduces Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC trimmed its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 59.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 118,539 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 171,442 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $29,232,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Running Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 57,541 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $14,190,000 after buying an additional 7,190 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the second quarter valued at $2,658,000. Weitz Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Accenture by 28.8% in the third quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,550 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $39,592,000 after acquiring an additional 35,900 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth about $2,216,850,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 17.4% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 258,599 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $63,771,000 after purchasing an additional 38,325 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $203.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $235.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.16. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $187.00 and a twelve month high of $325.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.07 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.27.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat on EPS and revenue; bookings strength — Accenture reported $2.93 EPS and $18.04B revenue, both above consensus, and cited record bookings and rising AI adoption that support near-term demand. BusinessWire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic AI/cloud partnerships bolster positioning — Recent collaborations with Microsoft, Databricks and cloud partners deepen Accenture’s go-to-market for enterprise AI, supporting revenue mix and long-term growth opportunities. Seeking Alpha: Microsoft Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Services resilience, cash returns and yield appeal — Commentary and analysis highlight resilient margins, strong managed-services performance, record bookings and ongoing capital returns (dividend/buybacks) that support shareholder value. Seeking Alpha: Strength Despite Sell-Off
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary on AI workforce impacts — CEO remarks suggesting entry-level roles may not be the most affected by AI add nuance to the narrative about disruption and rehiring/reshaping labor, but are not immediate revenue drivers. Investopedia: CEO Comments
• Neutral Sentiment: Smaller partnership news and institutional buying — Deals such as the RELEX/Lowe’s collaboration mention Accenture involvement and filings show some funds adding positions; helpful background but limited immediate impact. PR Newswire: RELEX/Lowe’s
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue/outlook disappointed some investors — Management forecasted upcoming quarterly revenue below Street estimates and gave a cautious tone on large IT transformation spend, which pressured sentiment after the beat. Reuters: Revenue Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst cuts and macro concerns — Firms including TD Cowen and others trimmed price targets or lowered expectations; broader economic and AI-disruption worries have driven a deep YTD share decline that raises valuation concerns. MSN/TD Cowen: PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment drag from wider sell-off and AI fear narrative — Coverage notes ACN has fallen sharply this year amid fears of AI disruption, which amplifies reactions to any cautious guidance. Barron’s: Context on Decline

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,380.79. The trade was a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus decreased their target price on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $286.19.

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.