Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its Accenture stake by 10.5% in Q4 to 320,509 shares (about $86.0M), making ACN its 25th‑largest holding and roughly 0.05% of the company.
• Despite a quarterly EPS beat and a $1.63 quarterly dividend, Accenture lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance, prompting a selloff that pushed the stock to a 52‑week low and coincided with a ~24% rise in short interest.
• Accenture is expanding its AI and cloud capabilities—investing in Replit and acquiring Keepler—which UBS sees as potential upside, but analyst reactions remain mixed and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a $274.88 target.

Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 320,509 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after buying an additional 30,523 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for about 1.1% of Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Accenture worth $85,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,021 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the last quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth approximately $303,000. DDD Partners LLC purchased a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,439,000. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,486 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,277,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trilogy Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth approximately $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture invested in Replit via Accenture Ventures to speed AI-driven software development for enterprise clients — a move that strengthens its AI tooling and go-to-market capabilities. Accenture Invests in Replit to Accelerate AI-Driven Software Development
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Keepler Data Tech adds ~240 cloud/AI professionals and deepens Accenture’s data/AI delivery capability in Europe — reinforces the company’s strategic positioning in AI and cloud services. Accenture Buys Keepler To Deepen AI Data Capabilities And Investor Story
• Positive Sentiment: UBS flagged Accenture’s AI spending as potential underestimated upside — a bullish take that could support multiple expansion if AI-driven revenue acceleration materializes. Accenture’s AI spending spree signals underestimated upside, UBS says
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary highlight mixed analyst responses and valuation debates — some trims on price targets citing booking/AI concerns, while others point to solid execution and a fair‑value anchor near $252. How The Accenture (ACN) Investment Story Is Shifting With AI Questions And Mixed Analyst Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary on which workers are affected by AI is getting attention as investors try to gauge how AI will reshape services demand and margins over time. Why Accenture's CEO Believes Entry-Level Workers Aren't the Ones Struggling with AI Today
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance: FY revenue guidance of ~$71.8B–$73.2B (below the ~$73.9B consensus) and EPS guidance of $13.65–$13.90 (around/below consensus), plus Q3 revenue range slightly below estimates — the guidance reset is the primary near‑term catalyst for the stock decline.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~24.1% in March to 18.24M shares (≈2.7% of shares outstanding), signaling increased bearish positioning and potential downside pressure. (Short‑interest ratio ≈ 1.9 days based on average volume.)
• Negative Sentiment: Shares hit a 52‑week low amid a broad selloff — the stock has fallen sharply over the past year and has shown negative returns across recent timeframes, prompting re‑ratings and risk reassessment by investors. Accenture stock hits 52-week low at $186.99

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. The trade was a 12.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,256 shares of company stock worth $5,464,134. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of Accenture from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $220.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $274.88.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $179.33 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $177.50 and a one year high of $325.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The company's fifty day moving average is $209.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.24.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

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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