Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Aristotle Capital Management LLC

Aristotle Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 495,969 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 27,164 shares during the period. Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $122,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $19,466,641,000 after buying an additional 1,315,548 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.2% in the 2nd 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 buying an additional 326,979 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Accenture by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,223,839,000 after acquiring an additional 4,984,930 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Accenture by 12.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,148,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC increased its stake in Accenture by 9.0% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,615,366 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,371,149,000 after purchasing an additional 790,580 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Udacity (part of Accenture) launched an accredited MBA program aimed at training AI product leaders — a revenue/brand-positive move that strengthens Accenture’s talent pipeline and positioning in AI services. Udacity, Part of Accenture, Launches Accredited MBA to Train the Next Generation of AI Product Leaders
• Positive Sentiment: Investor research argues Accenture is well-placed to benefit from AI implementation contracts, highlighting upside from rising enterprise AI spend — a bullish narrative for medium-term revenue growth. Accenture (ACN) is Poised to Benefit from AI Implementation Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its Google Cloud partnership to help clients strengthen cloud security — a direct revenue-opportunity in managed security and cloud transformation services. Accenture Helps Organizations Strengthen Cloud Security with Google Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Accenture may be undervalued after prior overvaluation, presenting a valuation-based bullish case for long-term investors. Accenture: Undervalued After Years Of Overvaluation
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks previews Accenture’s upcoming earnings and suggests the company may not have the setup for an earnings beat, signaling investor caution into the report. Accenture (ACN) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Accenture is projected to post quarterly earnings this week, a scheduled catalyst that could swing the stock depending on guidance and margins. Accenture (ACN) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its price target on ACN to $260 (from $317) and warned of pressure on long-term estimates after its enterprise-AI checks — the downgrade dampens sentiment despite a maintained Buy rating. Truist Financial Cuts Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $260.00 Truist Lowers Accenture (ACN) Target to $260, Warns of Pressure on Long-Term Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Guggenheim lowered its price target on Accenture to $275, adding to analyst-driven downward pressure on the stock in the run-up to earnings. Guggenheim Lowers Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $275.00

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total transaction of $786,883.03. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,033,333.41. The trade was a 27.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE ACN opened at $196.41 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $188.73 and a 52 week high of $326.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $241.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.91 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.27.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on ACN shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.35.

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.