Violich Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Violich Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 34,287 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,617 shares during the quarter. Accenture comprises about 1.0% of Violich Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Violich Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $8,455,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ACN. Investors Research Corp grew its holdings in Accenture by 73.8% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Accenture by 132.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 146.0% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN stock opened at $286.33 on Monday. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $229.40 and a 52-week high of $398.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $176.27 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $258.82.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on ACN shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Accenture from $350.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total transaction of $623,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at $346,763.30. This trade represents a 64.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mauro Macchi sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was 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 directly owned 7,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,994,440. The trade was a 6.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,076 shares of company stock worth $10,256,788. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Accenture

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.