Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Northeast Investment Management

Northeast Investment Management decreased its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 46.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,204 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 42,897 shares during the quarter. Northeast Investment Management’s holdings in Accenture were worth $12,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $19,466,641,000 after acquiring an additional 1,315,548 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Accenture by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,016,605 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $8,373,925,000 after purchasing an additional 326,979 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,042,843 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,182,331,000 after purchasing an additional 147,931 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Accenture by 12.8% in the third 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 during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,637,640,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ACN shares. Citigroup upgraded Accenture to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.38.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $219.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $135.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $215.16 and a twelve month high of $392.02. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $264.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.09. 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 (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. Accenture’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Accenture news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.