Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Newly Bought by M Holdings Securities Inc.

M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,350 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $614,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 11.5% in the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,482 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,724 shares during the last quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 200.6% in the third quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC now owns 11,195 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,053,000 after acquiring an additional 22,325 shares during the last quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 3.1% during the third quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 3,235 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rayburn West Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 52.1% during the third quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC now owns 7,301 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,339,000 after purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is working with Qantas to modernize its operations, providing evidence of continued demand for its transformation services. Qantas said the program will involve cutting 850 jobs over the coming years; the reductions are at Qantas, not Accenture. Reuters: Australia’s Qantas to axe 850 jobs in offshoring deal with Accenture
• Positive Sentiment: A WSIB digital modernization project involving Accenture reduced employer registration from eight to ten business days to under ten minutes. The result offers a concrete example of Accenture’s ability to deliver cloud-based transformation and could help support future client sales. Ontario WSIB project announcement
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. management and technical consulting employment rose by 17,300 in October, its biggest monthly increase since December 2024. The gain may indicate improving demand for consulting services, although it does not guarantee higher spending at Accenture. The Overlooked AI Trade Hiding in a Beaten-Down Corner of the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons describe Accenture as a large, profitable company with strong cash generation, but note that its revenue has fluctuated while some software peers have shown steadier growth. These comparisons highlight competitive strengths and trade-offs rather than a new change in the company’s outlook. Accenture vs. Adobe comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: The Qantas job cuts may draw scrutiny because the modernization arrangement includes offshoring, though the reporting does not indicate a direct financial or operational cost to Accenture. Qantas to Cut 850 Jobs After Tech Deal With Accenture

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN stock opened at $258.82 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $152.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $213.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.64. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $118.15 and a one year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total value of $2,700,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 5,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,618,920. The trade was a 62.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Julie Sweet bought 12,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $245.99 per share, for a total transaction of $3,001,078.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 48,910 shares in the company, valued at $12,031,370.90. This represents a 33.23% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,675 shares of company stock valued at $4,747,563. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.07.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.