Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Purchased by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its Accenture stake by 22% in the third quarter, purchasing 5,125 additional shares for a total holding worth approximately $5.21 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.14% of ACN.
• Accenture reported quarterly EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, beating estimates, with revenue up 6.2% year over year. The company also authorized a $2 billion share buyback, representing up to 2.4% of outstanding shares.
• The board raised the quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, while analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $219.15.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,414 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,125 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Accenture were worth $5,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $1,295,078,000 after buying an additional 143,483 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 120.0% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 84.0% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $477,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,097,961 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Accenture by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $472,913,000 after purchasing an additional 466,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake 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 valued at $402,825,000 after purchasing an additional 885,687 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined multi-year growth and margin targets through fiscal 2029. The plan reassured investors that the company expects sustained demand despite a cautious consulting market. Accenture growth targets
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised Accenture’s quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, supporting shareholder returns and signaling confidence in cash generation. The company also highlighted its share-repurchase activity. Accenture dividend hike and AI deals
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI and cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic, deepened its Dell alliance for private and sovereign AI infrastructure, and launched a forward-deployed engineering program with Workday. These initiatives could increase enterprise AI implementation revenue. Accenture expands AI partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: The acquisition of U.K. customer-intelligence company Sagacity Solutions is intended to scale AI-powered customer analytics across Accenture Song’s U.K. and Ireland operations, strengthening the company’s AI services portfolio. Accenture acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat estimates, with revenue up 6.2% year over year, while Accenture’s valuation and free-cash-flow yield appear attractive. However, the discounted valuation may reflect investor concerns about slower future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that cautious client spending, pricing pressure and reliance on acquisitions could limit upside. Investors also remain focused on whether AI investment will translate into higher margins and accelerated organic growth.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The relatively small, scheduled transaction is unlikely to materially alter the investment case but may weigh modestly on sentiment. Accenture insider transaction

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total value of $149,968.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,540,029.44. This represents a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. The trade was a 37.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. William Blair lowered Accenture from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $219.15.

Accenture Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE ACN opened at $214.51 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $187.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.93. The company has a market capitalization of $143.25 billion, a PE ratio of 15.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.44%.

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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