Heritage Investors Management Corp Cuts Stake in Accenture PLC $ACN

Heritage Investors Management Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 72,865 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 4,256 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Accenture were worth $19,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. grew its holdings in Accenture by 107.5% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 110 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a strategic investment in XBOW, an agentic AI-powered autonomous cybersecurity testing platform, through Accenture Ventures. The move expands its AI and cybersecurity capabilities and could help it offer more advanced security services to clients. Accenture (ACN) Invests in AI-Driven Security Platform XBOW
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture also unveiled a collaboration with HUMAIN to accelerate AI adoption across Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors, positioning the company as a strategic AI partner in a growing international market. HUMAIN and Accenture Accelerate AI Adoption at Scale Across Public and Private Sectors in Saudi Arabia
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary says Accenture has outperformed the broader market in the latest session, while also noting the stock remains well below its recent highs after a steep year-long decline. This reflects improving short-term momentum, but the bigger picture is still tied to whether AI-related wins can translate into stronger earnings growth. Accenture (ACN) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

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 stock was 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 owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. The trade was a 27.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Accenture Price Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $177.94 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.08. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $155.82 and a 1 year high of $321.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 13.87 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on ACN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.50.

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.