California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 251,042 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 11.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,967,981 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 251,042 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.30% of Accenture worth $485,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Accenture by 20.7% in the third quarter. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. now owns 3,537 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,008 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. American Trust Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,508,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 4,631 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,142,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 152.9% during the 3rd quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 155,843 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $38,431,000 after acquiring an additional 94,225 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on ACN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Argus lowered their price target on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. 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 quarter. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $196.41 on Friday. 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 fifty day moving average price is $241.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.73. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $188.73 and a 1-year high of $326.73. The firm 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.