Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 77,758 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 92.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,672 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 77,758 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $1,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investors Research Corp boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in Accenture during the third quarter valued at $28,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ACN. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.88.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed a Buy rating and $260 price target after Accenture’s Q2 results and record $22 billion bookings, signaling revenue momentum and stronger-than-expected demand. Accenture (ACN) Rated Buy on Strong Bookings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture launched Cyber.AI in partnership with Anthropic to scale AI-driven cybersecurity operations — a product tie-up that can expand higher‑value, recurring services revenue as enterprises prioritize AI security. Accenture and Anthropic Team to Help Organizations Secure, Scale AI-Driven Cybersecurity Operations
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Ventures invested in DaVinci Commerce and partnered via Accenture Song to commercialize AI agents for digital commerce — a strategic move to capture growth in AI-enabled transaction and CX services. Accenture Backs DaVinci Commerce in Push for AI Agents to Streamline Digital Transactions
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst pieces (Zacks/Yahoo) recommend retaining ACN, citing steady multi-year growth from cloud, cybersecurity and public sector wins, but framing current moves as part of a longer-term story rather than immediate catalysts. Here’s Why You Should Retain Accenture Stock in Your Portfolio Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage from Zacks and other outlets highlights ACN as a value/trending name that’s drawing investor attention — rising interest can support liquidity but isn’t a guaranteed near-term price driver. Here’s Why Accenture (ACN) is a Strong Value Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho issued a pessimistic near-term forecast for ACN’s share price, creating downside risk and giving wary investors a reason to take profits or reduce exposure. Mizuho Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and articles note rising costs and margin pressure despite revenue growth — a near-term headwind that could limit multiple expansion even as top-line momentum continues. Here’s Why You Should Retain Accenture Stock in Your Portfolio Now

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $196.35 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $227.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.27. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $187.00 and a 12-month high of $325.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The company had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.40%.

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total transaction of $786,883.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,033,333.41. This represents a 27.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. The trade was a 12.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.