Sather Financial Group Inc Boosts Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Sather Financial Group Inc lifted its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 19.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 198,724 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,855 shares during the period. Accenture comprises about 2.4% of Sather Financial Group Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Sather Financial Group Inc’s holdings in Accenture were worth $39,405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at $2,146,995,000. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of 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. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at about $311,694,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,192,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 84.0% in the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $477,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,961 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of Accenture stock traded up $6.28 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $143.24. 2,359,310 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,167,063. The business has a fifty day moving average of $164.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.17. The company has a market capitalization of $95.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $307.77.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 26.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.49 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 52.08%.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ACN shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 15th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, June 19th. HSBC decreased their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $195.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Company 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.