Running Oak Capital LLC Buys 4,318 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Running Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,144 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,318 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for approximately 1.7% of Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $10,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 11.2% during the third quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 117,589 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $21,562,000 after acquiring an additional 11,873 shares in the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 10.4% during the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $9,232,000 after acquiring an additional 7,018 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its position in shares of Accenture by 63.5% during the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 26,565 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,871,000 after acquiring an additional 10,322 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 worth $2,421,000 after acquiring an additional 8,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the second quarter worth about $25,108,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $202,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,000. This trade represents a 7.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture 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 completion of 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN stock opened at $254.34 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $118.15 and a one year high of $291.09. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $211.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.01.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. Accenture’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share 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 given a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is 50.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on ACN. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Susquehanna upped their target price on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Argus upped their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.07.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions.

The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.

Accenture traces its roots to the consulting business of accounting firm Arthur Andersen.