Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Newly Purchased by Howard Financial Services LTD.

Howard Financial Services LTD. bought a new stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,412 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $442,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Accenture by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 16,833 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $3,087,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial lifted its position in Accenture by 2.4% in the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 3,357 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 320.0% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932 in the last three months. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined multi-year growth and margin targets through fiscal 2029. The plan reassured investors that the company expects sustained demand despite a cautious consulting market. Accenture growth targets
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised Accenture’s quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, supporting shareholder returns and signaling confidence in cash generation. The company also highlighted its share-repurchase activity. Accenture dividend hike and AI deals
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI and cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic, deepened its Dell alliance for private and sovereign AI infrastructure, and launched a forward-deployed engineering program with Workday. These initiatives could increase enterprise AI implementation revenue. Accenture expands AI partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: The acquisition of U.K. customer-intelligence company Sagacity Solutions is intended to scale AI-powered customer analytics across Accenture Song’s U.K. and Ireland operations, strengthening the company’s AI services portfolio. Accenture acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat estimates, with revenue up 6.2% year over year, while Accenture’s valuation and free-cash-flow yield appear attractive. However, the discounted valuation may reflect investor concerns about slower future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that cautious client spending, pricing pressure and reliance on acquisitions could limit upside. Investors also remain focused on whether AI investment will translate into higher margins and accelerated organic growth.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The relatively small, scheduled transaction is unlikely to materially alter the investment case but may weigh modestly on sentiment. Accenture insider transaction

Accenture Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $214.51 on Thursday. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $118.15 and a 12-month high of $291.09. The company has a market capitalization of $143.25 billion, a PE ratio of 15.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $187.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.93.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on ACN. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 price objective on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 target price on Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Mizuho upped their target price on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.15.

About Accenture

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.