Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 22.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 173,215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,707 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Accenture were worth $42,715,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $366,300.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 28,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,756,925. The trade was a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total transaction of $786,883.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,033,333.41. This represents a 27.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ACN shares. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. HSBC raised their price target on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Berenberg Bank began coverage on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.35.

Accenture Stock Down 0.2%

ACN opened at $201.22 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $244.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $249.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $188.73 and a fifty-two week high of $330.00.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results 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. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.88%.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture partners with Google Cloud to strengthen cloud security, which could lead to new deal flow and higher-margin cloud security services. Accenture Helps Organizations Strengthen Cloud Security with Google Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim cut its price target to $275 but kept a Buy rating, signaling at least some analyst confidence in Accenture’s medium‑term outlook despite valuation compression. Benzinga Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is projected to post quarterly earnings on Thursday — results and management commentary on demand (especially enterprise AI adoption) will likely drive near‑term price moves. Accenture Projected to Post Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is a heavily watched stock lately (Zacks/other outlets), so swings may be amplified by retail/institutional attention and headline-driven flows. Zacks: Accenture Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles are framing the recent pullback as a potential buying opportunity; this reflects divided views on whether current price levels already discount slower AI-driven spending. Is There Now An Opportunity In Accenture After Steep Share Price Pullback?
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its price target to $260 (from $317) and warned of stagnant enterprise AI demand and potential downside to long‑term estimates — a clear headwind to investor expectations. Truist Lowers Accenture Target to $260
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank trimmed its target to $230 and kept a Hold rating, highlighting more cautious analyst conviction; the note references recent M&A (Ookla) and demand uncertainty. Deutsche Bank Lowers Accenture Target to $230
• Negative Sentiment: Aggregated analyst target cuts and coverage notes this week have pressured the stock and market positioning, increasing downside risk if upcoming results disappoint. Analyst Target Adjustments Hit Accenture
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that senior managers’ promotions are tied to internal AI tool usage have raised questions about productivity and workforce resilience — a governance/operational risk investors may watch closely. Assessing Accenture Valuation As AI Tool Adoption Becomes A Factor In Senior Manager Promotions

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.