Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Trims Stake in Accenture PLC $ACN

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas cut its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 31.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,962 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 39,217 shares during the period. Accenture makes up 1.8% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in Accenture were worth $20,705,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ACN. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.2% in the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,751 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,108,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Investors Research Corp grew its position in Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Councilmark Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 0.5% during the second quarter. Councilmark Asset Management LLC now owns 9,344 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,793,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 6.4% during the second quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 744 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, WP Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.0% in the second quarter. WP Advisors LLC now owns 4,719 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,410,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $209.77 on Wednesday. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $188.73 and a 1-year high of $349.24. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $251.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.59 earnings per share. The firm’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. Equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total value of $786,883.03. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,033,333.41. This represents a 27.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Accenture from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group downgraded Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank started coverage on Accenture in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $313.00 target price for the company. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $296.42.

About Accenture

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.