BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments Has $55.65 Million Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments trimmed its Accenture stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,362 shares and ending with 206,099 shares valued at about $55.65 million.
• Several other major institutional investors also made sizable moves in Accenture, and hedge funds and institutions now own 75.14% of the company’s shares.
• Analysts remain generally positive on Accenture, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $260.81, even as some firms recently lowered targets.

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments decreased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 206,099 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 6,362 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for approximately 1.6% of BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments' holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments' holdings in Accenture were worth $55,652,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ACN. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth about $2,146,995,000. Capital International Investors increased its position in Accenture by 41.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after acquiring an additional 4,984,930 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $311,694,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Accenture by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,192,907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $268,578,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $309.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $199.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Monday. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $260.81.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE ACN opened at $174.42 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $183.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $223.76. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $155.82 and a 1 year high of $321.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 13.88 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 53.40%.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a new AI Adoption Maturity Model with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, a move that could strengthen its positioning as a trusted enterprise AI consulting partner and support future services demand. Article: Accenture and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute Launch AI Adoption Maturity Model to Help Organizations Scale AI with Predictable Outcomes
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at JPMorgan and TD Cowen maintained bullish ratings on Accenture despite trimming price targets, signaling continued confidence in the company’s long-term fundamentals and upside from current levels. Article: JPMorgan adjusts price target on Accenture to 201 from 247 maintains overweight rating Article: TD Cowen adjusts price target on Accenture to 258 from 282 maintains buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s planned acquisition of Whalar, a leading creator and social agency, suggests it is expanding capabilities in digital marketing and creator-led services, which could broaden its growth opportunities. Article: Accenture to Acquire Leading Creator and Social Agency Whalar, from Whalar Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces emphasized Accenture as a major player in enterprise AI and highlighted its debt-free balance sheet, but these were mostly strategic overviews rather than new financial catalysts. Article: Is Accenture (ACN) Turning AI Readiness Consulting Into a Defensible Edge in Enterprise Services? Article: Accenture Plc (ACN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Expanding AI Capabilities Despite Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture shares were pressured by a stock decline versus a broadly firmer market, indicating weak near-term investor sentiment around the name. Article: Accenture (ACN) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A recent Truist downgrade noted concerns about constrained client budgets and competitive pressures, reinforcing worries that consulting demand may remain uneven in the near term. Article: Accenture Plc (ACN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Expanding AI Capabilities Despite Downgrade

Accenture 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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