Accenture PLC $ACN is Willis Investment Counsel's 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in Accenture by 2.8% in Q4 to 193,768 shares (about $51.99M), making Accenture its 4th largest holding at 2.7% of the firm's portfolio.
• Accenture beat quarterly expectations with $2.93 EPS vs. $2.84 and revenue of $18.04B (up 7.8% YoY), and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share (annualized $6.52, ~3.4% yield).
• Insiders sold 20,256 shares (~$5.46M) over the last three months, including CEO Julie Sweet, while analysts have trimmed targets but the stock retains a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a $274.88 price target.

Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 193,768 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,271 shares during the period. Accenture comprises 2.7% of Willis Investment Counsel's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Willis Investment Counsel's holdings in Accenture were worth $51,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Investors Research Corp lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE:ACN opened at $193.92 on Thursday. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $187.00 and a 52 week high of $325.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $212.48 and a 200 day moving average of $242.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 20,256 shares of company stock valued at $5,464,134 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $274.88.

Accenture Profile

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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