Weitz Investment Management Inc. Acquires 35,900 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Weitz Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 28.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 160,550 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,900 shares during the quarter. Accenture comprises approximately 2.1% of Weitz Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Weitz Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $39,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $19,466,641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,315,548 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position 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 valued at $8,373,925,000 after purchasing an additional 326,979 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,042,843 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,182,331,000 after purchasing an additional 147,931 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings 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 worth $2,502,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC bought a new stake in Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,637,640,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $196.54 on Wednesday. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $196.09 and a 1 year high of $365.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $258.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $252.80.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued 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 return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.59 EPS. The company’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. As a group, research analysts predict 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 was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 53.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Argus lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.