Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by CX Institutional

Key Points

• CX Institutional cut its Accenture stake by 89.8% in the third quarter, selling 38,824 shares and retaining 4,389 shares valued at approximately $805,000. Institutional investors still own 75.14% of Accenture.
• Accenture reported a strong fiscal fourth quarter, with revenue up 6.2% year over year to $18.68 billion and EPS of $3.29, both ahead of analyst expectations. Management issued fiscal 2027 guidance for 3%–6% local-currency revenue growth and plans approximately $5 billion in acquisitions.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend 4.9% to $1.71 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $6.84 and a yield of about 3.4%; analysts’ average rating remains Hold, with an average price target of $218.59.

CX Institutional decreased its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 89.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,389 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 38,824 shares during the period. CX Institutional's holdings in Accenture were worth $805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Accenture by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $7,583,462,000 after purchasing an additional 129,610 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Accenture by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $4,687,867,000 after acquiring an additional 343,420 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Accenture by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,192,907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122,855 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,295,078,000 after purchasing an additional 143,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,393,818 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $1,447,161,000 after purchasing an additional 63,760 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong quarterly beat: Fiscal fourth-quarter revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $18.68 billion, exceeding the $18.03 billion consensus estimate, while EPS of $3.29 topped expectations of $3.18. Accenture fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Bookings eased AI-disruption fears: Quarterly bookings reached $22.17 billion, up 4%, contributing to record fiscal-year bookings of approximately $84.5 billion. Management said AI demand is broadening into fiscal 2027, supported by large-scale reinvention projects and managed services. Accenture Q4 earnings call and AI demand
• Positive Sentiment: Constructive fiscal 2027 outlook: Accenture forecast 3%–6% revenue growth in local currency, a 15.9%–16.1% operating margin and $14.39–$14.81 in EPS. The company also plans roughly $5 billion of acquisitions, signaling continued investment in growth. Accenture fiscal 2027 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target increases: Argus raised its target to $260 with a Buy rating, while RBC lifted its target to $240 and upgraded the stock to Outperform. Truist also raised its target to $220, though it retained a Hold rating.
• Positive Sentiment: Higher shareholder returns: Accenture increased its quarterly dividend 4.9% to $1.71 per share, or $6.84 annually, representing a yield of about 3.4%.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company'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 transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Accenture from $153.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered Accenture from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Argus raised their price target on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $218.59.

Accenture Price Performance

Accenture stock opened at $199.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $133.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. 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 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09. The stock's 50 day moving average is $180.91 and its 200-day moving average is $173.64.

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

Accenture announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. This is an increase from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture's payout ratio is 48.08%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report).

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.