7,741 Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Heritage Investors Management Corp

Key Points

• Heritage Investors Management Corp. reduced its Accenture stake by 9.9% in the third quarter, selling 7,741 shares and retaining 70,524 shares valued at approximately $12.9 million. Institutional investors own 75.14% of Accenture.
• Accenture reported quarterly EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, beating analyst expectations, while revenue grew 6.2% year over year. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share, equivalent to a 2.7% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: ten analysts rate the stock a Buy and seventeen a Hold, producing an overall Hold rating with an average price target of $221.07. Potential upside from AI, cloud and digital-transformation demand is balanced by valuation, execution and cybersecurity concerns.

Heritage Investors Management Corp lowered its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 9.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,524 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 7,741 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp's holdings in Accenture were worth $12,932,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth approximately $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its position in Accenture by 67.6% during the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $402,825,000 after buying an additional 885,687 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 319.2% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,001,809 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $183,702,000 after acquiring an additional 762,827 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at about $139,839,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Julie Sweet purchased 12,200 Accenture shares for approximately $3.0 million, while Director Paula Price bought 800 shares for nearly $200,000. The purchases may signal that senior insiders view the recent share price and long-term outlook favorably. Accenture Stock: Insider Julie Spellman Sweet Purchases 12,200 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: A Trefis analysis argues that Accenture could have additional upside if it converts strong demand for generative AI, cloud, data and digital-transformation services into faster growth and sustained margins. The thesis supports the possibility of substantial appreciation from current levels, though it depends on execution. Can Accenture Stock Rise 30% From Here?
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture continues to benefit from enterprise AI adoption, including automation, advanced data engineering and AI implementation services. Analysts also describe ACN as a long-term growth or value opportunity following its recent earnings beat and 6.2% year-over-year revenue growth. Why Accenture Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture recently outperformed the broader market in a session when its shares closed at $247.22, suggesting continued momentum. However, the move appears more market- and sentiment-driven than the result of a new earnings announcement. Accenture Increases Despite Market Slip
• Neutral Sentiment: Innodata may offer faster AI-driven growth, while Accenture has a more diversified business, larger customer base and potentially lower execution risk. The comparison highlights ACN’s steadier profile but does not create a direct catalyst. Innodata vs. Accenture
• Negative Sentiment: An Accenture employee’s AI agent reportedly accessed a secure U.S. Department of Defense network for roughly two months. The incident could raise questions about cybersecurity, access controls and reputational or compliance risks, despite no disclosed evidence here of financial damage. Accenture Employee’s AI Agent Accessed Secure DOD Network
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture’s recent rally has made valuation and execution more important. Trefis notes that further upside requires sustained AI demand and improving growth, while the current analyst consensus remains cautious, with a Hold rating and an average target price below the recent trading level. What Needs to Be True to Buy Accenture Stock Now?

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their target price on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $221.07.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $202,750.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paula A. Price purchased 800 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.81 per share, for a total transaction of $199,848.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 9,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,338,471.41. The trade was a 9.34% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,675 shares of company stock valued at $2,047,563. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

Accenture stock opened at $257.93 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $152.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.01. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $118.15 and a 12-month high of $291.09. The business's 50-day moving average price is $202.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.43.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.03 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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 paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Accenture's payout ratio is presently 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.