Capital International Ltd. CA increased its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) by 200.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,359 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 9,581 shares during the quarter. Capital International Ltd. CA’s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Accenture by 96.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. increased its holdings in Accenture by 107.5% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 110 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity
In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Accenture Stock Performance
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.Accenture’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current year.
Accenture Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.40%.
Key Accenture News
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Accenture’s strong earnings-surprise track record and said the company has the ingredients for another beat when it next reports results, which can lift sentiment ahead of earnings. Will Accenture (ACN) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
- Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus reiterated its Buy rating on Accenture, reinforcing the view that the stock remains attractive at current levels. Stifel Nicolaus Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Accenture (ACN)
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a strategic investment and partnership with AlphaSense to bring agentic AI workflows for market intelligence to enterprises, underscoring continued momentum in AI services and enterprise transformation. Accenture and AlphaSense Announce Strategic Investment and Partnership to Bring Agentic Workflows for Market Intelligence to Enterprises
- Positive Sentiment: TEPCO Solution Advance also said it is working with Accenture to reinvent operations with AI, adding another example of new client demand tied to Accenture’s AI consulting capabilities. TEPCO Solution Advance Teams with Accenture to Reinvent Operations with AI
- Neutral Sentiment: Several recent opinion pieces argued that Accenture looks undervalued on earnings and cash flow metrics, which may help investor confidence, but these were commentary rather than new fundamentals. Accenture: A 57% Drop Meets A 12.8 P/E – The Ultimate Margin Of Safety
- Neutral Sentiment: Other analysis said AI is accelerating demand rather than disrupting Accenture’s business model, supporting the long-term bull case but not changing near-term results on its own. Accenture: AI Is Accelerating Instead Of Disrupting The Consultancy
- Negative Sentiment: At least one recent valuation update trimmed Accenture’s fair value estimate and another note pointed to softer IT spending and AI competition, reflecting lingering caution around growth and margins. How The Investment Story For Accenture (ACN) Is Shifting With AI And Softer IT Spending
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have commented on ACN. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $199.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Accenture from $275.00 to $248.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.54.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ACN
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.
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