Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Holdings Cut by Howland Capital Management LLC

Howland Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 58.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,960 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 12,784 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $1,643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 147.1% in the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 134.8% during the 1st quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 110.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 284 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. S&G Foundation bought a new position in Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 57.9% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,511,200. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Argus increased their price objective on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.52.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE ACN opened at $259.11 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $194.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 50.44%.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is partnering with Google Public Sector to develop Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The tools are intended to help government customers integrate generative AI into mission workflows and internal operations, potentially strengthening Accenture’s federal pipeline and AI credentials. What Is Accenture Signaling With Its Federal AI Push and China Review?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus a $3.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while strong bookings helped drive investor optimism. These 3 Stocks Surged Following Strong Quarterly Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing strategic options for its Greater China operations, including a possible divestiture. A sale could simplify the portfolio and reduce geopolitical exposure, but the review also highlights uncertainty around the region.
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reaffirmed its Neutral rating while raising its price target to $252 from $245. The higher target acknowledges recent momentum, but remains below the referenced trading level. Baird Downgrades Accenture to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, arguing that shares had nearly doubled from their June low and that the valuation now reflects slower growth prospects. This may limit further upside unless growth accelerates. Accenture Stock Gets Downgraded as the Good News May Already Be Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares worth approximately $1.43 million, reducing his reported ownership by 83%. Insider sales are not necessarily a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but the transaction can weigh modestly on sentiment.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.