Accenture PLC $ACN Stock: Capital Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings

Key Points

• Capital Investment Advisors LLC reduced its Accenture stake by 62.6% in the third quarter, selling 24,136 shares and retaining 14,406 shares worth approximately $2.64 million. Institutional investors overall own 75.14% of the company.
• Accenture exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.29 in EPS and $18.68 billion in revenue, with revenue up 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Accenture has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $219.52, while some firms raised targets and Baird downgraded the stock to “Neutral” after its strong rebound.

Capital Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,406 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 24,136 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Accenture were worth $2,642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $9,232,000 after buying an additional 7,018 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in Accenture by 63.5% during the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 26,565 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $4,871,000 after acquiring an additional 10,322 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 72.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,455 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,421,000 after acquiring an additional 8,169 shares in the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,108,000. Finally, Bright Rock Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,466,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Accenture News Roundup

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.52.

Accenture Trading Down 3.6%

NYSE:ACN opened at $249.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $147.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.11. The business's 50 day moving average is $196.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,000. This represents a 7.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock worth $3,758,527. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

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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