Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 210,279 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 30.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 902,498 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 210,279 shares during the period. Accenture comprises approximately 1.1% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.14% of Accenture worth $178,956,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 96.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $147.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $153.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.99. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.13.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.49 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.08%.

Accenture announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. Berenberg Bank lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Dbs Bank lowered Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Accenture from $200.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. William Blair cut Accenture from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 26th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.96.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.