Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Key Points

• Carnegie Investment Counsel cut its Accenture stake by 56.2% in Q4 to 26,641 shares worth about $7.15M, and company insiders sold roughly 20,256 shares over the last three months, signaling notable institutional and insider selling pressure.
• Management lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance (revenue ~$71.8B–$73.2B; EPS $13.65–$13.90), which, along with a ~24% jump in short interest, has been the primary catalyst for the stock's recent decline and 52‑week low.
• Accenture is doubling down on AI—investing in Replit and acquiring Keepler to boost data/AI capabilities—and while UBS sees upside from AI spending, analyst views are mixed; the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a $274.88 target.

Carnegie Investment Counsel lowered its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 56.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,641 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 34,165 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel's holdings in Accenture were worth $7,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. Investors Research Corp increased its position in shares of Accenture by 73.8% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture invested in Replit via Accenture Ventures to speed AI-driven software development for enterprise clients — a move that strengthens its AI tooling and go-to-market capabilities. Accenture Invests in Replit to Accelerate AI-Driven Software Development
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Keepler Data Tech adds ~240 cloud/AI professionals and deepens Accenture’s data/AI delivery capability in Europe — reinforces the company’s strategic positioning in AI and cloud services. Accenture Buys Keepler To Deepen AI Data Capabilities And Investor Story
• Positive Sentiment: UBS flagged Accenture’s AI spending as potential underestimated upside — a bullish take that could support multiple expansion if AI-driven revenue acceleration materializes. Accenture’s AI spending spree signals underestimated upside, UBS says
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary highlight mixed analyst responses and valuation debates — some trims on price targets citing booking/AI concerns, while others point to solid execution and a fair‑value anchor near $252. How The Accenture (ACN) Investment Story Is Shifting With AI Questions And Mixed Analyst Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary on which workers are affected by AI is getting attention as investors try to gauge how AI will reshape services demand and margins over time. Why Accenture's CEO Believes Entry-Level Workers Aren't the Ones Struggling with AI Today
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance: FY revenue guidance of ~$71.8B–$73.2B (below the ~$73.9B consensus) and EPS guidance of $13.65–$13.90 (around/below consensus), plus Q3 revenue range slightly below estimates — the guidance reset is the primary near‑term catalyst for the stock decline.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~24.1% in March to 18.24M shares (≈2.7% of shares outstanding), signaling increased bearish positioning and potential downside pressure. (Short‑interest ratio ≈ 1.9 days based on average volume.)
• Negative Sentiment: Shares hit a 52‑week low amid a broad selloff — the stock has fallen sharply over the past year and has shown negative returns across recent timeframes, prompting re‑ratings and risk reassessment by investors. Accenture stock hits 52-week low at $186.99

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ACN. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Accenture from $300.00 to $230.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price target on Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $274.88.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $179.33 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $177.50 and a twelve month high of $325.71. The stock's 50 day moving average is $209.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The company had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,380.79. This trade represents a 30.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 20,256 shares of company stock worth $5,464,134 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Company 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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