Weitz Investment Management Inc. Acquires 35,900 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Weitz Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 28.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 160,550 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,900 shares during the quarter. Accenture comprises about 2.1% of Weitz Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Weitz Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $39,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investors Research Corp grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accenture Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $196.54 on Wednesday. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $196.09 and a 1 year high of $365.58. 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 firm has a market cap of $120.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50-day moving average of $258.67 and a 200 day moving average of $252.80.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.59 EPS. Accenture’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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ACN shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Accenture from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,564,439.84. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Company 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.