Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Newly Acquired by Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Castle Rock Wealth Management acquired 7,962 Accenture shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $1.54 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of the company.
• Accenture exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, up 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share and maintains a $2 billion share-repurchase authorization.
• Analysts’ consensus rating remains Hold, with an average price target of $219.15; optimism around AI and enterprise-services growth is tempered by concerns that AI-driven efficiency and pricing pressure could weigh on consulting margins.

Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,962 shares of the information technology services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,540,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ACN. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 147.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 134.8% in the 1st quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 110.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 284 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. S&G Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Accenture by 57.9% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 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: Accenture’s fiscal fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.29 versus the $3.18 consensus and revenue of $18.68 billion versus estimates of $18.03 billion. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, helping drive the recent rally. Accenture Could Be 30% Undervalued
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators increasingly view Accenture as an undervalued artificial-intelligence and enterprise-services beneficiary. The company’s AI-related work and enterprise momentum could convert elevated AI spending into longer-term revenue growth. Is Accenture the Market’s Most Overlooked AI Play?
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture increased its dividend by 4.91%, signaling continued confidence in cash generation. One dividend-focused analysis rated ACN highly and estimated substantial upside to fair value, although the increase was below the company’s five-year dividend-growth rate. Dividend Announcements
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Accenture as a strong momentum stock, reflecting improving price performance and investor interest following the earnings beat. Why Accenture Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor whether AI-driven efficiency and pricing pressure could reduce fees for consulting work. Management acknowledged lower pricing in several areas during the quarter, creating a potential risk to margins and future growth. What Would It Take for AI Price Cuts to Break Accenture Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares for approximately $264,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced her holdings by 9.51%, but its scheduled nature limits its significance as a bearish signal.

Accenture Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of ACN traded up $0.03 on Friday, hitting $208.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,876,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,004,745. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $183.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.44. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.44%.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ACN. Dbs Bank lowered Accenture from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $219.15.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,511,200. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Accenture

Accenture plc NYSE: ACN is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.

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