Accenture PLC $ACN Stock: Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Cuts Holdings

Key Points

• Axxcess Wealth Management cut its Accenture stake by 81.9% in the third quarter, selling 33,097 shares and retaining 7,304 shares worth approximately $1.34 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of the company.
• Accenture exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.29 in EPS versus $3.18 expected and $18.68 billion in revenue versus $18.03 billion expected; revenue grew 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 from $1.63.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $219.52 target price, while insiders—including CEO Ryoji Sekido—have recently sold shares. The stock opened at $249.42, above the consensus target.

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 81.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,304 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 33,097 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Accenture were worth $1,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 18.3% in the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 323 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.9% during the third quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 4.5% during the first quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. GS Investments Inc. boosted its position in Accenture by 0.5% during the first quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 12,415 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,462,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 1.4% in the second quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 4,526 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Accenture Trading Down 3.6%

ACN opened at $249.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $196.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.15.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on ACN shares. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wolfe Research raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group set a $278.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.52.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s consensus price target reportedly increased 12.22% to $238.14, while a bullish analysis projects an additional 23% total return through December 2027. These updates suggest some analysts continue to see upside from the company’s AI and digital-transformation growth. Accenture consensus price target increased Accenture total return analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is working with Google Public Sector on Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The initiative could expand Accenture’s government AI pipeline and reinforce its position as a generative-AI implementation partner. Accenture federal AI push
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results surpassed expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus $3.18 expected and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue grew 6.2% year over year, and Accenture also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing options for its Greater China business, potentially including a divestiture. A sale could reduce geopolitical exposure and simplify operations, but the review introduces uncertainty about the region’s future contribution.
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, citing the stock’s sharp rebound and concern that the valuation already reflects much of the expected growth. Baird maintained a $252 price target, offering limited upside relative to recent trading levels. Baird downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold approximately $1.43 million of stock, reducing his direct holdings by 83%, while Chief Accounting Officer Melissa Burgum sold $202,750 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Planned sales do not necessarily signal weaker fundamentals, but the transactions may weigh on sentiment.

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $292,338.96. This represents a 83.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $202,750.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,455,000. This trade represents a 7.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.

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