Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Purchased by TIAA Trust National Association

Key Points

• TIAA Trust National Association more than doubled its Accenture stake in the fourth quarter, increasing holdings by 101.7% to 124,935 shares worth about $33.5 million.
• Several analysts cut price targets on Accenture, but the stock still carries a Moderate Buy consensus with a $260.81 average target. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo both kept overweight ratings despite lowering their targets.
• Accenture reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 and revenue of $18.04 billion, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share for a 3.7% annualized yield.

TIAA Trust National Association increased its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 101.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,935 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 62,979 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association's holdings in Accenture were worth $33,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Steph & Co. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 107.5% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 110 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on ACN shares. Oppenheimer set a $201.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $247.00 to $201.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $248.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $300.00 to $270.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $260.81.

Accenture Trading Down 2.2%

Accenture stock opened at $174.42 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.06 billion, a PE ratio of 14.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.09. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $155.82 and a 12-month high of $321.77.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The business's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 53.40%.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a new AI Adoption Maturity Model with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, a move that could strengthen its positioning as a trusted enterprise AI consulting partner and support future services demand. Article: Accenture and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute Launch AI Adoption Maturity Model to Help Organizations Scale AI with Predictable Outcomes
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at JPMorgan and TD Cowen maintained bullish ratings on Accenture despite trimming price targets, signaling continued confidence in the company’s long-term fundamentals and upside from current levels. Article: JPMorgan adjusts price target on Accenture to 201 from 247 maintains overweight rating Article: TD Cowen adjusts price target on Accenture to 258 from 282 maintains buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s planned acquisition of Whalar, a leading creator and social agency, suggests it is expanding capabilities in digital marketing and creator-led services, which could broaden its growth opportunities. Article: Accenture to Acquire Leading Creator and Social Agency Whalar, from Whalar Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces emphasized Accenture as a major player in enterprise AI and highlighted its debt-free balance sheet, but these were mostly strategic overviews rather than new financial catalysts. Article: Is Accenture (ACN) Turning AI Readiness Consulting Into a Defensible Edge in Enterprise Services? Article: Accenture Plc (ACN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Expanding AI Capabilities Despite Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture shares were pressured by a stock decline versus a broadly firmer market, indicating weak near-term investor sentiment around the name. Article: Accenture (ACN) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Truist downgrade noted concerns about constrained client budgets and competitive pressures, reinforcing worries that consulting demand may remain uneven in the near term. Article: Accenture Plc (ACN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Expanding AI Capabilities Despite Downgrade

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 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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