Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 26.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,443,886 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 306,303 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.22% of Accenture worth $286,308,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 96.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:ACN opened at $147.04 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $153.92 and a 200-day moving average of $194.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.13. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The business had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. Accenture’s payout ratio is 52.08%.

Accenture announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Accenture from $225.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $253.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Argus reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $335.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.