Sanders Capital LLC Purchases 790,580 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,615,366 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 790,580 shares during the quarter. Accenture makes up about 2.9% of Sanders Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Sanders Capital LLC owned 1.46% of Accenture worth $2,371,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ACN. Running Oak Capital LLC raised its position in Accenture by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 57,541 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $14,190,000 after purchasing an additional 7,190 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth $2,658,000. Weitz Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 28.8% in the third quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,550 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $39,592,000 after buying an additional 35,900 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the second quarter valued at about $2,216,850,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in Accenture by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 258,599 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $63,771,000 after buying an additional 38,325 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total value of $289,024.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. This trade represents a 3.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434 in the last ninety days. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Accenture Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE: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 stock has a market cap of $120.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $241.97 and a 200-day moving average of $248.78. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $188.73 and a one year high of $326.73.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The firm had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ACN. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Accenture from $305.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.35.

Key Accenture News

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

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.