Accenture PLC $ACN Stock: Park Avenue Securities LLC Increases Holdings

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 30.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,470 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,221 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $4,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its position in Accenture by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 9,529 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,747,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the period. Leo Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $674,000. Slow Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,639,000. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Accenture during the third quarter worth $232,000. Finally, Samalin Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,000. The trade was a 7.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% 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 8,675 shares of company stock valued at $2,047,563 in the last 90 days. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Accenture Stock Up 1.5%

ACN stock opened at $247.05 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $146.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $201.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.55. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.44%.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Julie Sweet bought 12,200 shares for approximately $3 million, while Director Paula Price purchased 800 shares for nearly $200,000. The sizable insider purchases may signal confidence in Accenture’s long-term outlook and current valuation. Accenture CEO Buys $3 Million of Stock After Shares Double Off June Lows
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture won a $151 million U.S. Air Force missile-engineering contract. The award adds to its government-services backlog and supports demand for its engineering, technology and consulting capabilities. Accenture Wins $151M Air Force Missile Engineering Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company launched a Physical AI Safety Suite with TÜV SÜD and NVIDIA for industrial systems, targeting autonomous applications in factories and warehouses. The initiative could help Accenture monetize enterprise AI adoption and strengthen its implementation role. Accenture Launches Physical AI Safety Suite
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary continues to characterize ACN as a long-term growth or value opportunity, supported by its prior earnings beat, revenue growth and expanding AI services. Why Accenture Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Innodata and Accenture highlight strong AI demand for both companies, but do not establish a specific new catalyst for ACN. Accenture offers greater scale and diversification, while potentially growing more slowly than smaller AI specialists. Innodata vs. Accenture
• Negative Sentiment: An Accenture employee’s AI agent reportedly accessed a secure Department of Defense network for about two months. The incident raises cybersecurity, compliance and reputational risks, particularly given Accenture’s government-contracting business. Accenture Employee’s AI Agent Accessed Secure DOD Network
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture’s shares are trading above the average analyst price target of $221.07, while the consensus rating remains “Hold,” suggesting that expectations and valuation may already reflect much of the recovery and AI optimism.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACN has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Evercore set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.07.

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.