Signal Advisors Wealth LLC Purchases 2,367 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Signal Advisors Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,367 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $434,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new stake in Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth about $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $477,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,961 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in shares of Accenture by 67.6% during the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $402,825,000 after buying an additional 885,687 shares during the period. Finally, Davis Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $92,086,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accenture Trading Up 2.1%

Accenture stock traded up $4.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $229.63. 7,485,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,063,213. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.44%.

Key Stories Impacting 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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total value of $149,968.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,540,029.44. The trade was a 5.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.26.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.