Accenture PLC $ACN Stock: Vest Financial LLC Grows Position

Vest Financial LLC grew its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 367,429 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,212 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Accenture worth $67,375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Accenture by 134.8% during the 1st quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 57.9% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 147.1% during the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank lifted its position in Accenture by 38.0% during the first quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 218 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture during the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,511,200. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upped their price target on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.52.

Accenture Stock Performance

Accenture stock opened at $240.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.11. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $118.15 and a one year high of $291.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $192.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $175.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued 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 company had revenue of $18.68 billion during 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%. Accenture’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Accenture Profile

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.