Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Position Cut by Ledyard National Bank

Ledyard National Bank trimmed its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,314 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 2,018 shares during the period. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Accenture by 147.1% during the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Accenture by 134.8% in the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 110.4% in the second quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 284 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. S&G Foundation purchased a new position in Accenture in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 57.9% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $252.00 price target (up from $245.00) on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.52.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is partnering with Google Public Sector to develop Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The tools are intended to help government customers integrate generative AI into mission workflows and internal operations, potentially strengthening Accenture’s federal pipeline and AI credentials. What Is Accenture Signaling With Its Federal AI Push and China Review?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus a $3.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while strong bookings helped drive investor optimism. These 3 Stocks Surged Following Strong Quarterly Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing strategic options for its Greater China operations, including a possible divestiture. A sale could simplify the portfolio and reduce geopolitical exposure, but the review also highlights uncertainty around the region.
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reaffirmed its Neutral rating while raising its price target to $252 from $245. The higher target acknowledges recent momentum, but remains below the referenced trading level. Baird Downgrades Accenture to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, arguing that shares had nearly doubled from their June low and that the valuation now reflects slower growth prospects. This may limit further upside unless growth accelerates. Accenture Stock Gets Downgraded as the Good News May Already Be Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares worth approximately $1.43 million, reducing his reported ownership by 83%. Insider sales are not necessarily a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but the transaction can weigh modestly on sentiment.

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total value of $1,430,844.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,338.96. This represents a 83.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock worth $3,758,527 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Up 7.8%

NYSE ACN opened at $259.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $194.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. The company has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.