Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Bought by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG grew its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,532 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,275 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in Accenture during the second quarter worth $2,637,640,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,216,850,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Accenture by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $19,466,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315,548 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Accenture by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,502,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth about $308,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 27,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total transaction of $185,413.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,564,439.84. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,934 shares of company stock valued at $5,965,166. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $275.70 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $269.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.00. 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 twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month high of $398.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.59 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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 given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.38.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berenberg initiated coverage with a bullish take centered on Accenture’s AI positioning, highlighting the company’s ability to monetize GenAI services and partnerships — a catalyst for longer‑term revenue and margin expansion. Accenture’s AI Advantage Sparks Bullish Initiation by Berenberg
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary and research note series emphasize Accenture’s momentum: earnings beat, reiterated FY‑2026 guidance, dividend and active M&A/talent investment (supports growth and shareholder returns). These fundamentals underpin analyst support and institutional interest. Earnings, guidance & dividend summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks and others) points to robust liquidity and buyout activity as additional levers for growth and margin improvement — reinforces the long‑term momentum case for investors focused on GenAI and consulting demand. Buyouts & Robust Liquidity Aid Accenture
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank nudged its price target up to $280 but kept a “hold” rating — a modest tweak that provides limited near‑term uplift given the conservative stance. Deutsche Bank Raises Price Target to $280
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales by senior executives (CEO John Walsh, CAO Melissa Burgum, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan, General Counsel Joel Unruch) occurred this week — the aggregate size and timing can trigger short‑term selling pressure and feed investor concern about insider confidence. Insider Selling: COO Sells $185K; cluster of Form 4s
• Negative Sentiment: High‑profile insider filings are repeated across multiple officers and days, increasing perceived supply and likely amplifying downward moves by traders reacting to disclosure rather than fundamentals. CEO Form 4 (SEC filing)

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.