Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group reduced its Accenture stake by 7.6% in the first quarter, selling 112,907 shares and leaving it with 1.38 million shares valued at about $273.6 million.
• Accenture is seeing continued institutional activity, with several large investors adding positions, while analysts remain mixed overall: the stock’s consensus rating is Hold with an average target price of $193.33.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $3.80, announced a $2 billion share buyback, and maintained a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share, though recent commentary still points to weak share performance and cautious growth expectations.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 7.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,380,039 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 112,907 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.21% of Accenture worth $273,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $2,146,995,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $311,694,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Accenture by 15.9% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 1,122,855 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 84.0% during 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 buying an additional 1,097,961 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at about $268,578,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a multi-million euro contract with NATO to support its Protected Business Network program, adding a high-profile government win that could strengthen near-term revenue visibility. NATO Announces Major Contract with Accenture to Help Advance Towards a More Agile and Resilient Digital Infrastructure
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI partnership with Google Cloud, launching “Accenture Edge” to deliver scalable agentic AI solutions for mid-market companies, which could help support future consulting and cloud services growth. Accenture Edge and Google Cloud Bring Scalable Agentic AI Solutions to Mid-Market Companies
• Positive Sentiment: The company also deepened its AI and cybersecurity push with ServiceNow, positioning itself to capture more demand for agentic AI-driven risk management and security services. Is Accenture's Agentic AI Push With ServiceNow a Game Changer?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary note that Accenture may be trading at a discount after a steep decline, which could attract value-focused investors if its AI initiatives translate into better bookings and growth. Accenture PLC (ACN) Shares Surge 3.8% -- What GF Score of 77 Tells Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the new contract and partnerships, recent coverage highlights weak share performance, soft bookings, and a pressured revenue outlook, suggesting investors remain cautious about the pace of Accenture’s recovery. Accenture Down 29.3% in 3 Months: How to Approach the Stock Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles also warn that Accenture’s AI push faces a major test, implying the market is still uncertain whether these initiatives will offset disruption and revive growth. Accenture NYSE: ACN AI Push Faces A Big Test

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Oppenheimer set a $201.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Berenberg Bank decreased their price target on Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Accenture from $199.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $275.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Wednesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $193.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 company insiders.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $137.29 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $91.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.13. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $304.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $161.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $205.36.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.78 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 26.47%. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.49 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. Accenture's payout ratio is presently 52.08%.

Accenture announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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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