Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Capital Research Global Investors

Capital Research Global Investors lessened its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,677,090 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 2,725,188 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.86% of Accenture worth $1,399,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Investors Research Corp lifted its position 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 buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 146.0% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Accenture in the third quarter valued at $32,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on ACN shares. Argus cut their target price on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $291.69.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $209.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $188.73 and a 1 year high of $339.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $247.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.32.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $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, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.1%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

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.