Accenture PLC $ACN Stock: Copeland Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings

Key Points

• Copeland Capital Management increased its Accenture holdings by 2,083.3% in the third quarter, acquiring 5,000 additional shares worth approximately $961,000. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of the company.
• Accenture exceeded quarterly expectations with EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, up 6.2% year over year. The company also authorized a $2 billion share repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $219.15. Recent insider sales and concerns about cautious client spending, pricing pressure, and translating AI investments into stronger organic growth remain potential risks.

Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 2,083.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,240 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC's holdings in Accenture were worth $961,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Accenture by 44.1% during the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,414 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 38.6% during the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 7,193 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 2,005 shares during the last quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 6.3% during the third quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,499 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $3,576,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. Davis Rea LTD. grew its position in Accenture by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Davis Rea LTD. now owns 27,092 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $4,968,000 after purchasing an additional 4,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC grew its position in Accenture by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 117,454 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $22,340,000 after purchasing an additional 11,738 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. The trade was a 37.18% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on ACN shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Accenture from $153.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore set a $250.00 target price on Accenture and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $219.15.

Accenture Stock Up 0.4%

ACN stock opened at $214.51 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $187.24 and a 200-day moving average of $173.93. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09. The company has a market capitalization of $143.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined multi-year growth and margin targets through fiscal 2029. The plan reassured investors that the company expects sustained demand despite a cautious consulting market. Accenture growth targets
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised Accenture’s quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, supporting shareholder returns and signaling confidence in cash generation. The company also highlighted its share-repurchase activity. Accenture dividend hike and AI deals
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its AI and cybersecurity partnership with Anthropic, deepened its Dell alliance for private and sovereign AI infrastructure, and launched a forward-deployed engineering program with Workday. These initiatives could increase enterprise AI implementation revenue. Accenture expands AI partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: The acquisition of U.K. customer-intelligence company Sagacity Solutions is intended to scale AI-powered customer analytics across Accenture Song’s U.K. and Ireland operations, strengthening the company’s AI services portfolio. Accenture acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat estimates, with revenue up 6.2% year over year, while Accenture’s valuation and free-cash-flow yield appear attractive. However, the discounted valuation may reflect investor concerns about slower future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that cautious client spending, pricing pressure and reliance on acquisitions could limit upside. Investors also remain focused on whether AI investment will translate into higher margins and accelerated organic growth.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The relatively small, scheduled transaction is unlikely to materially alter the investment case but may weigh modestly on sentiment. Accenture insider transaction

Accenture Profile

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.

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