Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Purchased by Everett Harris & Co. CA

Everett Harris & Co. CA boosted its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 366,321 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,858 shares during the period. Accenture comprises 1.2% of Everett Harris & Co. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in Accenture were worth $98,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth $2,146,995,000. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 41.1% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth $311,694,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,192,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,855 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth $268,578,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $174.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $183.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.06 billion, a PE ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $155.82 and a 52-week high of $321.77.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. Accenture’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 13.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a new AI Adoption Maturity Model with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, a move that could strengthen its positioning as a trusted enterprise AI consulting partner and support future services demand. Article: Accenture and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute Launch AI Adoption Maturity Model to Help Organizations Scale AI with Predictable Outcomes
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at JPMorgan and TD Cowen maintained bullish ratings on Accenture despite trimming price targets, signaling continued confidence in the company’s long-term fundamentals and upside from current levels. Article: JPMorgan adjusts price target on Accenture to 201 from 247 maintains overweight rating Article: TD Cowen adjusts price target on Accenture to 258 from 282 maintains buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s planned acquisition of Whalar, a leading creator and social agency, suggests it is expanding capabilities in digital marketing and creator-led services, which could broaden its growth opportunities. Article: Accenture to Acquire Leading Creator and Social Agency Whalar, from Whalar Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces emphasized Accenture as a major player in enterprise AI and highlighted its debt-free balance sheet, but these were mostly strategic overviews rather than new financial catalysts. Article: Is Accenture (ACN) Turning AI Readiness Consulting Into a Defensible Edge in Enterprise Services? Article: Accenture Plc (ACN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Expanding AI Capabilities Despite Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture shares were pressured by a stock decline versus a broadly firmer market, indicating weak near-term investor sentiment around the name. Article: Accenture (ACN) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Truist downgrade noted concerns about constrained client budgets and competitive pressures, reinforcing worries that consulting demand may remain uneven in the near term. Article: Accenture Plc (ACN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Expanding AI Capabilities Despite Downgrade

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $199.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. HSBC dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Oppenheimer set a $201.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $247.00 to $201.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.81.

Accenture Company Profile

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.