10,895 Shares in Accenture PLC $ACN Purchased by Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 10,895 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,998,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Accenture by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 2,249 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $412,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management increased its holdings in Accenture by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 323 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, GS Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.5% in the first quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 12,415 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,462,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,338.96. The trade was a 83.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE:ACN traded down $9.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $249.42. The company had a trading volume of 6,845,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,265,866. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $196.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.15. The stock has a market cap of $147.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.11. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm 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 business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price target on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Evercore set a $250.00 price target on shares of Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.52.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s consensus price target reportedly increased 12.22% to $238.14, while a bullish analysis projects an additional 23% total return through December 2027. These updates suggest some analysts continue to see upside from the company’s AI and digital-transformation growth. Accenture consensus price target increased Accenture total return analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is working with Google Public Sector on Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The initiative could expand Accenture’s government AI pipeline and reinforce its position as a generative-AI implementation partner. Accenture federal AI push
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results surpassed expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus $3.18 expected and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue grew 6.2% year over year, and Accenture also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing options for its Greater China business, potentially including a divestiture. A sale could reduce geopolitical exposure and simplify operations, but the review introduces uncertainty about the region’s future contribution.
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, citing the stock’s sharp rebound and concern that the valuation already reflects much of the expected growth. Baird maintained a $252 price target, offering limited upside relative to recent trading levels. Baird downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold approximately $1.43 million of stock, reducing his direct holdings by 83%, while Chief Accounting Officer Melissa Burgum sold $202,750 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Planned sales do not necessarily signal weaker fundamentals, but the transactions may weigh on sentiment.

Accenture Company Profile

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.