Davis Investment Partners LLC Purchases New Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Davis Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 9,385 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,721,000. Accenture accounts for 0.5% of Davis Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Accenture by 2.0% in the third quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 2,249 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Accenture by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 323 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Signature Equity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GS Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 12,415 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,462,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE ACN opened at $258.82 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $152.97 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $213.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.64. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is 50.44%.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is working with Qantas to modernize its operations, providing evidence of continued demand for its transformation services. Qantas said the program will involve cutting 850 jobs over the coming years; the reductions are at Qantas, not Accenture. Reuters: Australia’s Qantas to axe 850 jobs in offshoring deal with Accenture
• Positive Sentiment: A WSIB digital modernization project involving Accenture reduced employer registration from eight to ten business days to under ten minutes. The result offers a concrete example of Accenture’s ability to deliver cloud-based transformation and could help support future client sales. Ontario WSIB project announcement
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. management and technical consulting employment rose by 17,300 in October, its biggest monthly increase since December 2024. The gain may indicate improving demand for consulting services, although it does not guarantee higher spending at Accenture. The Overlooked AI Trade Hiding in a Beaten-Down Corner of the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons describe Accenture as a large, profitable company with strong cash generation, but note that its revenue has fluctuated while some software peers have shown steadier growth. These comparisons highlight competitive strengths and trade-offs rather than a new change in the company’s outlook. Accenture vs. Adobe comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: The Qantas job cuts may draw scrutiny because the modernization arrangement includes offshoring, though the reporting does not indicate a direct financial or operational cost to Accenture. Qantas to Cut 850 Jobs After Tech Deal With Accenture

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Sweet bought 12,200 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $245.99 per share, for a total transaction of $3,001,078.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 48,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,031,370.90. This represents a 33.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $2,700,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 5,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,618,920. This represents a 62.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 a total of 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price target on Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $245.00 to $252.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.07.

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.