World Investment Advisors Increases Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,020 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,067 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Accenture were worth $6,910,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Investors Research Corp lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. RMG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Accenture during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 146.0% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Accenture during the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Accenture from $355.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. HSBC lifted their price objective on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup upgraded Accenture to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.29.

Accenture Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of ACN opened at $270.08 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $398.35. The company has a market capitalization of $166.26 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $255.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $262.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $346,763.30. The trade was a 64.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total transaction of $1,725,569.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $465,018.60. This represents a 78.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 33,319 shares of company stock valued at $8,335,225. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.