Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Sold by Curated Wealth Partners LLC

Key Points

• Curated Wealth Partners cut its Accenture position by 90.6% in the third quarter, selling 51,674 shares and retaining 5,335 shares worth approximately $978,000. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of Accenture.
• Analysts maintain a broadly cautious view, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $219.26 price target; recent target increases from several firms were generally accompanied by hold or neutral ratings.
• Accenture reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with $3.29 in adjusted earnings per share and $18.68 billion in revenue, while raising its quarterly dividend to $1.71 and authorizing a $2 billion share-repurchase program.

Curated Wealth Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 90.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,335 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 51,674 shares during the quarter. Curated Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Accenture were worth $978,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the third quarter worth approximately $227,000. Howard Financial Services LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $442,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 16,833 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $3,087,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 3,357 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 320.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 231 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ACN shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "reduce" rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Accenture from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total transaction of $149,968.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,540,029.44. The trade was a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter, insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined a three-year framework targeting at least mid-single-digit revenue growth, with potential acceleration through fiscal 2029. RBC said artificial intelligence is becoming a net demand driver, supporting expectations for stronger consulting and technology-services bookings. Accenture Sees AI as Net Demand Driver
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded alliances with Dell Technologies, Workday and Anthropic, along with the acquisition of Sagacity Solutions, reinforce Accenture’s strategy of helping enterprises deploy agentic AI, private AI infrastructure and AI-powered customer analytics. These initiatives could increase demand for consulting, implementation and managed services. Accenture AI Deals and Dividend Hike
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, equivalent to an annualized $6.84 payout and an approximately 3.2% yield. The company also has an authorized $2 billion share-repurchase program, improving shareholder returns and signaling confidence in the valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded estimates, with earnings of $3.29 per share and revenue of $18.68 billion, up 6.2% year over year. Strong cash flow, bookings and a relatively modest valuation remain additional supports for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target to $230 from $210 but kept a neutral rating. TD Cowen also lifted its target, to $201 from $193, while retaining a hold rating. The mixed recommendations suggest analysts see improved prospects but limited near-term upside after the rally. Accenture Trending Stock Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that cautious client spending, pricing pressure, acquisition dependence and execution risk could limit growth. Some commentary also argues that the recent rally has outpaced Accenture’s underlying fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was relatively small and planned in advance, but it may modestly weigh on sentiment. Accenture Insider Transaction

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $224.84 on Friday. 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 twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $188.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.15. The stock has a market cap of $150.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The company's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $1.71 dividend. This is a positive change from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Accenture declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to buy back $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.