Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by City Holding Co.

Key Points

• City Holding Co. sold 6,542 Accenture shares in Q4, cutting its stake by 88.2% to 875 shares valued at about $235,000.
• Accenture beat quarterly EPS and revenue (EPS $2.93 vs $2.84; revenue $18.04B vs $17.80B) but management lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance, which helped trigger a share drop, a 52‑week low and a roughly 24% jump in short interest.
• Analysts are mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $274.88 target, and the company declared a $1.63 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.52, ~3.6% yield).

City Holding Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 88.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 875 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 6,542 shares during the period. City Holding Co.'s holdings in Accenture were worth $235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 878 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. grew its holdings in Accenture by 0.9% during the third quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. now owns 4,416 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 1.2% during the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,751 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Accenture by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ACN shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Berenberg Bank began coverage on Accenture in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $313.00 target price on the stock. Argus lowered their target price on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $274.88.

Accenture Stock Down 3.6%

ACN opened at $179.33 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $177.50 and a 52 week high of $325.71. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $209.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.50.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.40%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,688 shares in the company, valued at $3,564,439.84. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total value of $289,024.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,656,887.70. This trade represents a 3.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 20,256 shares of company stock worth $5,464,134 in the last quarter. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Accenture News

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

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.