M&T Bank Corp Decreases Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

M&T Bank Corp lowered its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 223,347 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 12,284 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Accenture were worth $55,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,637,640,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth $2,216,850,000. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Accenture by 41.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after buying an additional 4,984,930 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $19,466,641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,315,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Accenture by 12.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,502,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,970 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their price target on Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.35.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Udacity (part of Accenture) launched an accredited MBA program aimed at training AI product leaders — a revenue/brand-positive move that strengthens Accenture’s talent pipeline and positioning in AI services. Udacity, Part of Accenture, Launches Accredited MBA to Train the Next Generation of AI Product Leaders
• Positive Sentiment: Investor research argues Accenture is well-placed to benefit from AI implementation contracts, highlighting upside from rising enterprise AI spend — a bullish narrative for medium-term revenue growth. Accenture (ACN) is Poised to Benefit from AI Implementation Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its Google Cloud partnership to help clients strengthen cloud security — a direct revenue-opportunity in managed security and cloud transformation services. Accenture Helps Organizations Strengthen Cloud Security with Google Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Accenture may be undervalued after prior overvaluation, presenting a valuation-based bullish case for long-term investors. Accenture: Undervalued After Years Of Overvaluation
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks previews Accenture’s upcoming earnings and suggests the company may not have the setup for an earnings beat, signaling investor caution into the report. Accenture (ACN) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Accenture is projected to post quarterly earnings this week, a scheduled catalyst that could swing the stock depending on guidance and margins. Accenture (ACN) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its price target on ACN to $260 (from $317) and warned of pressure on long-term estimates after its enterprise-AI checks — the downgrade dampens sentiment despite a maintained Buy rating. Truist Financial Cuts Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $260.00 Truist Lowers Accenture (ACN) Target to $260, Warns of Pressure on Long-Term Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Guggenheim lowered its price target on Accenture to $275, adding to analyst-driven downward pressure on the stock in the run-up to earnings. Guggenheim Lowers Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $275.00

Accenture Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:ACN opened at $196.41 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $120.91 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $241.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $188.73 and a 52 week high of $326.73.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.59 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Accenture news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,380.79. The trade was a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Corporate 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.