11,738 Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Purchased by Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC

Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 117,454 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,738 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for about 1.5% of Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $22,340,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after acquiring an additional 143,483 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 120.0% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 84.0% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $477,023,000 after buying an additional 1,097,961 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 24.3% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $472,913,000 after buying an additional 466,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 67.6% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,511,200. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 12,518 shares of company stock worth $2,124,932 over the last quarter. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ACN shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.15.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture acquired Sagacity Solutions, a UK customer-intelligence company, to expand AI-driven customer services across Accenture Song’s UK and Ireland operations. The deal could strengthen the company’s AI capabilities and support cross-selling opportunities. Accenture Acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and research commentary point to AI momentum, strategic acquisitions, strong cash flow and a relatively discounted valuation as reasons to remain constructive on ACN. Accenture is targeting at least $11 billion in free cash flow and more than $9.5 billion for dividends and share repurchases in fiscal 2027. Accenture Valuation and Market Sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicates increased speculative bullish interest, with approximately 58,099 calls purchased versus typical volume of about 16,712 contracts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture’s shares have surged roughly 60% over three months following earnings and guidance updates, prompting investors to reassess whether the rally already reflects much of the AI opportunity. Accenture Stock Rally Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching upcoming company-related events and analyst commentary for evidence that AI demand is translating into faster revenue growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns remain about cautious client spending, pricing pressure and fiscal 2027 revenue growth of approximately 3% to 6%. These issues could limit earnings acceleration despite AI demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Operating Officer John Walsh reportedly sold approximately $264,000 of ACN stock, a modest insider transaction but a potential short-term sentiment headwind. Accenture Insider Sale

Accenture Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of ACN traded down $1.56 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $213.31. 6,309,064 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,998,098. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $142.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.73, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $185.50 and its 200-day moving average is $173.65. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. The firm’s 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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.08%.

About Accenture

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.