MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Cuts Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lowered its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,428 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 14,124 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in Accenture were worth $10,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ACN. Investors Research Corp raised 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth $28,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and record bookings — Accenture reported EPS and revenue above expectations and said bookings remain strong, driven by AI and cloud demand; that underpins longer-term growth potential. BusinessWire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships and product wins — New collaborations (notably with Microsoft on agentic security) and ongoing AI initiatives support deal pipeline and cross-sell opportunities. BusinessWire: Microsoft Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Board announced a quarterly dividend (ex-dividend April 9) reinforcing cash return policy and yielding ~3.2%, which can support investor demand for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Selective analyst upgrades — HSBC moved to “hold” with a $220 target and a few firms maintain outperform/buy ratings even as they trim targets; sentiment among sell‑side analysts is mixed. Finviz: HSBC Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price-target cuts — Several brokers trimmed targets (BMO to $230, RBC to $253, Guggenheim to $250, Robert W. Baird to $265) after the quarter, increasing near‑term downside perception despite differing ratings. Benzinga: Analyst Moves TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious revenue outlook — Management’s near-term revenue guidance came in below some Street expectations and the company warned of client caution on large IT transformation spending, which is the key driver of today’s weakness. Reuters: Revenue Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downward revisions and stock reaction — Several analysts cut earnings/forecasts after the print and the stock is declining on higher-than-normal volume, reflecting profit‑taking and concern about near‑term execution and AI disruption risks. Benzinga: Forecast Cuts

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,298,380.79. The trade was a 30.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ACN. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on Accenture in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.00.

Accenture Stock Down 1.5%

ACN opened at $200.41 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $187.00 and a one year high of $325.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $246.75.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.40%.

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.