John Walsh Sells 3,986 Shares of Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Stock

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) CEO John Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. The trade was a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Accenture Stock Performance

ACN stock opened at $270.45 on Thursday. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $229.40 and a twelve month 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 company has a market cap of $166.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $269.88 and its 200-day moving average is $258.09.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The business had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ACN. Absher Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,647 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,129 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 109.6% during the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 459 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC grew its position in Accenture by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC now owns 2,075 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Accenture by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 20,355 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $5,721,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP bought a new stake in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth about $918,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and guidance support growth expectations — Accenture beat revenue and EPS estimates for the last quarter and reiterated FY‑2026 EPS guidance (13.52–13.90), which underpins valuation and long‑term earnings visibility. Earnings & guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Berenberg initiated coverage bullishly, citing Accenture’s AI advantage — fresh analyst support tied to GenAI momentum can attract buyers focused on secular growth in AI consulting and services. Berenberg initiation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and industry writeups highlight M&A optionality, liquidity and GenAI positioning — narrative pieces (Zacks, Yahoo) are keeping investor interest elevated and support medium‑term upside. Zacks trending
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend continues to support income investors — a recently declared quarterly dividend sustains cash‑return appeal. Dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $280 but kept a Hold — a small PT lift that stops short of a full upgrade and signals mixed conviction from some institutional analysts. Deutsche Bank PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus remains mixed (Moderate Buy with mid‑$200s–$300s average target) — implies upside but also differing analyst views that can mute big intraday rallies. MarketBeat consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling by several senior executives (CEO, CAO, COO, General Counsel) — multiple Form 4 filings and recent sales increase perceived near‑term supply and can spook momentum traders and short‑term holders. Insider sales
• Negative Sentiment: Large, synchronous executive sales reduce perceived insider conviction and may amplify downward pressure while headline momentum persists. CEO Form 4

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ACN. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial started coverage on Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Finally, Argus decreased their price objective on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.38.

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.