Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Sold by Howland Capital Management LLC

Howland Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 58.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,960 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 12,784 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $1,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBT Bank N.A. bought a new position in Accenture during the third quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 49,623 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $9,099,000 after acquiring an additional 2,429 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $266,000. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 60.4% in the 3rd quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 13,270 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,649 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is partnering with Google Public Sector to develop Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The tools are intended to help government customers integrate generative AI into mission workflows and internal operations, potentially strengthening Accenture’s federal pipeline and AI credentials. What Is Accenture Signaling With Its Federal AI Push and China Review?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus a $3.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while strong bookings helped drive investor optimism. These 3 Stocks Surged Following Strong Quarterly Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing strategic options for its Greater China operations, including a possible divestiture. A sale could simplify the portfolio and reduce geopolitical exposure, but the review also highlights uncertainty around the region.
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reaffirmed its Neutral rating while raising its price target to $252 from $245. The higher target acknowledges recent momentum, but remains below the referenced trading level. Baird Downgrades Accenture to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, arguing that shares had nearly doubled from their June low and that the valuation now reflects slower growth prospects. This may limit further upside unless growth accelerates. Accenture Stock Gets Downgraded as the Good News May Already Be Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares worth approximately $1.43 million, reducing his reported ownership by 83%. Insider sales are not necessarily a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but the transaction can weigh modestly on sentiment.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at $292,338.96. The trade was a 83.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,455,000. The trade was a 7.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ACN. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.52.

Accenture Trading Up 7.8%

NYSE:ACN opened at $259.11 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $194.57 and a 200 day moving average of $175.64. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s payout ratio is 50.44%.

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.