Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Acquired by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 12.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares during the quarter. Accenture comprises approximately 0.8% of Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,502,446,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 7,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,994,440. This represents a 6.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.57, for a total value of $2,246,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 23,516 shares in the company, valued at $5,868,888.12. This trade represents a 27.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 40,076 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,788 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ACN. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup raised Accenture to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.20.

Accenture Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $286.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $398.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $264.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $259.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $176.27 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.25.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Accenture 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.