Professional Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Professional Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 38.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 71,977 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,045 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for about 2.5% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $19,311,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth $2,216,850,000. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth about $311,694,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Accenture by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,502,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at about $268,578,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ACN. Berenberg Bank began coverage on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $309.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.88.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services won a NOAA contract to modernize the National Weather Service’s AWIPS into NWS HIVE — a mission‑critical, multi‑year federal engagement that supports backlog and stable government revenue streams. Accenture Federal Services Wins NOAA Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture continues to expand its AI capabilities: announced an investment in DaVinci Commerce to advance agentic AI commerce (supports future revenue growth in retail digital transformation). Accenture Invests in DaVinci Commerce
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture partnered with Microsoft to deploy agentic AI for enhanced digital security — another strategic tie to hyperscalers that can deepen client engagements and recurring cloud/AI revenue. Accenture Partners with Microsoft
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Q2 results beat consensus (sales and EPS) and management provided an updated fiscal‑2026 outlook; analysts cite the earnings beat alongside expanded AI deals when assessing longer‑term growth. Valuation Check After Q2 Earnings Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets reiterate Accenture’s long‑term growth case (strong secular demand for digital and AI services), which supports buy‑and‑hold investors but doesn’t remove near‑term volatility. Zacks Long-Term Growth Case
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho trimmed its price target from $309 to $280 but maintained an “outperform” rating — a mixed signal (still bullish, but less upside than before). Mizuho Lowers Target but Keeps Outperform
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets this week (Guggenheim, RBC, BMO, Robert W. Baird), applying near‑term downward pressure on the stock despite the company’s operational wins. Guggenheim Cuts PT RBC Cuts PT BMO Cuts PT Baird Cuts PT
• Negative Sentiment: Technicals and valuation are weighing on the stock: ACN is trading below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages and near its 12‑month low, which can trigger short‑term selling and reduce momentum for momentum‑sensitive funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Accenture Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $193.35 on Wednesday. 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 PLC has a 1 year low of $187.00 and a 1 year high of $325.71. The firm has a market cap of $119.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $245.83.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.40%.

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.