Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Sold by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. lessened its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,459 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 17,989 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 11.2% during the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 11,873 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 10.4% in the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $9,232,000 after acquiring an additional 7,018 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its position in Accenture by 63.5% during the 3rd 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 increased its holdings in Accenture by 72.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,455 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,421,000 after purchasing an additional 8,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Accenture by 47.9% in the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,216 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN stock traded up $0.85 on Friday, hitting $250.80. 3,400,376 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,925,131. The stock has a market cap of $148.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The company has a 50 day moving average of $216.73 and a 200 day moving average of $191.22. 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 data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture’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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th were issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 50.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $292,338.96. This represents a 83.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Sweet acquired 12,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $245.99 per share, with a total value of $3,001,078.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 48,910 shares in the company, valued at $12,031,370.90. This trade represents a 33.23% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Company Profile

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.