Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Position Raised by Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas increased its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 193,154 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,131 shares during the period. Accenture makes up about 1.8% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in Accenture were worth $35,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Accenture by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after acquiring an additional 143,483 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Accenture by 120.0% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Accenture by 24.3% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $472,913,000 after acquiring an additional 466,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its position in Accenture by 67.6% in the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $402,825,000 after buying an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value 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. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock worth $2,124,932 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Up 0.6%

Accenture stock opened at $240.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.11. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $192.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.23.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.03 EPS. The firm’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. On average, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ACN. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.52.

Accenture Company 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.