Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. Sells 4,175 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lessened its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,884 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 4,175 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 18.3% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 323 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 38.0% during the 1st quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 218 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GS Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 12,415 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,462,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore set a $250.00 price target on Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued 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 target price of $219.26.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN stock opened at $229.63 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.11. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $189.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.54.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

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

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined a three-year plan targeting at least mid-single-digit revenue growth, with AI expected to become a net demand driver as clients move from pilot projects to broader implementation. The company highlighted AI-related work with UMass Memorial Health and expanded partnerships with Dell, Microsoft and Workday. Accenture Sees AI as Net Demand Driver
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture plans approximately $8 billion in fiscal 2027 acquisitions to expand cybersecurity capabilities, industry expertise and other growth areas. Investors may view the spending as a catalyst for revenue growth and deeper AI offerings, although successful integration will be important. Accenture’s $8B Acquisition Push
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets after the investor day, citing Accenture’s AI opportunity and multi-year growth framework. Susquehanna increased its target to $230, while TD Cowen raised its target to $201, though both maintained non-bullish ratings. Analysts Raise Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating, reflecting investor debate over whether AI-driven growth can offset slower consulting demand and execution risks. BNP Paribas similarly said Accenture’s positive tailwinds have not yet fully overcome existing headwinds. Accenture Tailwinds and Headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture reportedly capped employees’ monthly Claude spending at $29 after some users spent as much as $1,000. The move may signal tighter control of internal AI costs and raises questions about how aggressively the company is using AI internally, despite marketing AI transformation to clients. Accenture Caps Claude Spending

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total transaction of $149,968.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 11,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,540,029.44. The trade was a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock worth $2,124,932. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.