QRG Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stake in Accenture PLC $ACN

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 89,916 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 83,621 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $22,173,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Investors Research Corp raised its holdings in Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in Accenture in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 146.0% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ACN. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Accenture to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.20.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Mauro Macchi sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total value of $140,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 7,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,994,440. This represents a 6.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $366,300.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 28,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,756,925. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 40,076 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,788. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $286.33 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $398.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $264.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $259.43. The company has a market cap of $176.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.88%.

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.