Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Acquired by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 279,993 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,884 shares during the quarter. Accenture makes up 0.9% of Advisors Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Advisors Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $69,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Investors Research Corp boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management purchased a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 146.0% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was 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 $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $219.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $264.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $254.09. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $215.16 and a 12 month high of $392.02. The firm has a market cap of $135.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.24. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.59 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 53.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ACN. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Accenture from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Argus reduced their target price on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen equities research 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 an average target price of $298.38.

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.