ING Groep NV Grows Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

ING Groep NV increased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 219.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 141,196 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 96,971 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Accenture were worth $34,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,373,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Accenture by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 56,875 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $14,025,000 after buying an additional 3,558 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Magnolia Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,258 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 18,114 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,467,000 after buying an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.6% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 70,030 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $17,269,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on ACN. TD Cowen increased their target price on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $241.02 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $148.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $392.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $269.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $255.72. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.88%.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. The trade was a 30.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 27,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. This trade represents a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.