Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,397 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 29,003 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $13,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Accenture by 2.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,078,000 after acquiring an additional 143,483 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Accenture by 120.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares in the last quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE purchased a new stake in Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $309,873,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 84.0% in the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $477,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $472,913,000 after purchasing an additional 466,452 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.26.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined a three-year plan targeting at least mid-single-digit revenue growth, with AI expected to become a net demand driver as clients move from pilot projects to broader implementation. The company highlighted AI-related work with UMass Memorial Health and expanded partnerships with Dell, Microsoft and Workday. Accenture Sees AI as Net Demand Driver
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture plans approximately $8 billion in fiscal 2027 acquisitions to expand cybersecurity capabilities, industry expertise and other growth areas. Investors may view the spending as a catalyst for revenue growth and deeper AI offerings, although successful integration will be important. Accenture’s $8B Acquisition Push
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets after the investor day, citing Accenture’s AI opportunity and multi-year growth framework. Susquehanna increased its target to $230, while TD Cowen raised its target to $201, though both maintained non-bullish ratings. Analysts Raise Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating, reflecting investor debate over whether AI-driven growth can offset slower consulting demand and execution risks. BNP Paribas similarly said Accenture’s positive tailwinds have not yet fully overcome existing headwinds. Accenture Tailwinds and Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture reportedly capped employees’ monthly Claude spending at $29 after some users spent as much as $1,000. The move may signal tighter control of internal AI costs and raises questions about how aggressively the company is using AI internally, despite marketing AI transformation to clients. Accenture Caps Claude Spending

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total transaction of $149,968.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,540,029.44. This trade represents a 5.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Accenture stock opened at $229.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $189.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.43. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.03 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Accenture declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that permits the company to buy back $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.