HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Sells 3,676 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC cut its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,780 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 3,676 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $1,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Accenture by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $19,466,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315,548 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 1.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,016,605 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $8,373,925,000 after buying an additional 326,979 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,042,843 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,182,331,000 after buying an additional 147,931 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Accenture by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,502,446,000 after buying an additional 1,148,970 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the second quarter valued at about $2,637,640,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Accenture Stock Down 3.3%

NYSE:ACN opened at $233.66 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $397.88. The company has a market capitalization of $143.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $270.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict 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 will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.88%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at $7,656,887.70. This trade represents a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,031 shares of company stock valued at $4,509,304. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Accenture from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Accenture in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upgraded shares of Accenture to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price objective for the company. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.38.

Accenture 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.