2,412 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN Acquired by Howard Financial Services LTD.

Howard Financial Services LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 2,412 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $442,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $9,232,000 after buying an additional 7,018 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 72.4% in the second quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,455 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,421,000 after acquiring an additional 8,169 shares during the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in Accenture in the second quarter valued at $25,108,000. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter valued at about $7,466,000. Finally, Foster & Motley Inc. purchased a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter valued at about $2,628,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore set a $250.00 price objective on Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Mizuho upped their target price on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.15.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined multi-year growth and margin targets through fiscal 2029. The plan reassured investors that the company expects sustained demand despite a cautious consulting market. Accenture growth targets
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised Accenture’s quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, supporting shareholder returns and signaling confidence in cash generation. The company also highlighted its share-repurchase activity. Accenture dividend hike and AI deals
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI and cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic, deepened its Dell alliance for private and sovereign AI infrastructure, and launched a forward-deployed engineering program with Workday. These initiatives could increase enterprise AI implementation revenue. Accenture expands AI partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: The acquisition of U.K. customer-intelligence company Sagacity Solutions is intended to scale AI-powered customer analytics across Accenture Song’s U.K. and Ireland operations, strengthening the company’s AI services portfolio. Accenture acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat estimates, with revenue up 6.2% year over year, while Accenture’s valuation and free-cash-flow yield appear attractive. However, the discounted valuation may reflect investor concerns about slower future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that cautious client spending, pricing pressure and reliance on acquisitions could limit upside. Investors also remain focused on whether AI investment will translate into higher margins and accelerated organic growth.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The relatively small, scheduled transaction is unlikely to materially alter the investment case but may weigh modestly on sentiment. Accenture insider transaction

Accenture Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE ACN opened at $214.51 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $143.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $187.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is 50.44%.

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

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. The trade was a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $264,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,511,200. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,518 shares of company stock worth $2,124,932. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.