8,134 Shares in Accenture PLC $ACN Acquired by Argo Wealth Advisory LLC

Key Points

• Argo Wealth Advisory LLC opened a new position of 8,134 shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter, valued at about $2.18 million, while institutional investors collectively own roughly 75.14% of the company and other funds like Mirae Asset materially increased holdings.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently: CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares for about $1.10 million, and insiders sold a total of 15,331 shares (~$4.05 million) over the past three months, leaving insiders with just 0.02% ownership.
• Accenture topped quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.93 and revenue of $18.04 billion, announced a quarterly dividend of $1.63 (annualized $6.52, ~3.4% yield), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of about $274.50.

Argo Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 8,134 shares of the information technology services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,182,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wright Investors Service Inc. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 8,676 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,328,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 123,821 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $33,221,000 after purchasing an additional 30,037 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $232,000. Slow Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 22,828 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $6,125,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 3,806 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,021,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,331 shares of company stock valued at $4,048,871. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Trading Up 0.0%

ACN stock opened at $194.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $205.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.24. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $177.50 and a 52 week high of $325.71. The company has a market capitalization of $129.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.24.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 53.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Argus dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $274.50.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.

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