Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 40.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,100 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 9,008 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,078,000 after acquiring an additional 143,483 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 17.7% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 6,054,682 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,110,247,000 after purchasing an additional 912,506 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Accenture by 120.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Accenture by 24.3% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $472,913,000 after purchasing an additional 466,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in Accenture by 67.6% during the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $402,825,000 after purchasing an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is working with Qantas to modernize its operations, providing evidence of continued demand for its transformation services. Qantas said the program will involve cutting 850 jobs over the coming years; the reductions are at Qantas, not Accenture. Reuters: Australia’s Qantas to axe 850 jobs in offshoring deal with Accenture
• Positive Sentiment: A WSIB digital modernization project involving Accenture reduced employer registration from eight to ten business days to under ten minutes. The result offers a concrete example of Accenture’s ability to deliver cloud-based transformation and could help support future client sales. Ontario WSIB project announcement
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. management and technical consulting employment rose by 17,300 in October, its biggest monthly increase since December 2024. The gain may indicate improving demand for consulting services, although it does not guarantee higher spending at Accenture. The Overlooked AI Trade Hiding in a Beaten-Down Corner of the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons describe Accenture as a large, profitable company with strong cash generation, but note that its revenue has fluctuated while some software peers have shown steadier growth. These comparisons highlight competitive strengths and trade-offs rather than a new change in the company’s outlook. Accenture vs. Adobe comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: The Qantas job cuts may draw scrutiny because the modernization arrangement includes offshoring, though the reporting does not indicate a direct financial or operational cost to Accenture. Qantas to Cut 850 Jobs After Tech Deal With Accenture

Accenture Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of ACN opened at $258.82 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $213.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.64. The company has a market cap of $152.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group set a $278.00 price target on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered Accenture from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $245.00 to $252.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.07.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, Director Paula A. Price acquired 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $249.81 per share, for a total transaction of $199,848.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,361 shares in the company, valued at $2,338,471.41. The trade was a 9.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Sweet acquired 12,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $245.99 per share, for a total transaction of $3,001,078.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 48,910 shares in the company, valued at $12,031,370.90. The trade was a 33.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,675 shares of company stock valued at $4,747,563. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.