Confluence Investment Management LLC Acquires 122,941 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 58.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 332,196 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 122,941 shares during the quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $89,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Park National Corp OH raised its position in Accenture by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 158,479 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,520,000 after purchasing an additional 11,336 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 23,259 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $6,240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,471 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 258 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,860 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $3,182,000 after buying an additional 3,050 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 18,175 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,876,000 after buying an additional 3,649 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Accenture stock opened at $203.16 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $235.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.16. 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 has a market cap of $125.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.27. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $187.00 and a 52 week high of $325.71.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 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 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related 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 value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price target on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup cut 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. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

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

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.