Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Acquired by Pzena Investment Management LLC

Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 287.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,307,722 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 969,792 shares during the period. Accenture makes up about 1.1% of Pzena Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Pzena Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $350,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ACN. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 96.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. lifted its position in Accenture by 107.5% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 110 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accenture Stock Down 0.7%

ACN stock opened at $177.94 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $155.82 and a 52 week high of $321.77. The company has a market capitalization of $118.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $187.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $229.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The company had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. Accenture’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.40%.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a strategic investment in XBOW, an agentic AI-powered autonomous cybersecurity testing platform, through Accenture Ventures. The move expands its AI and cybersecurity capabilities and could help it offer more advanced security services to clients. Accenture (ACN) Invests in AI-Driven Security Platform XBOW
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture also unveiled a collaboration with HUMAIN to accelerate AI adoption across Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors, positioning the company as a strategic AI partner in a growing international market. HUMAIN and Accenture Accelerate AI Adoption at Scale Across Public and Private Sectors in Saudi Arabia
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary says Accenture has outperformed the broader market in the latest session, while also noting the stock remains well below its recent highs after a steep year-long decline. This reflects improving short-term momentum, but the bigger picture is still tied to whether AI-related wins can translate into stronger earnings growth. Accenture (ACN) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $309.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.50.

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.