Capital Research Global Investors Reduces Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Capital Research Global Investors cut its Accenture stake by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 422,383 shares and ending with 5.25 million shares valued at about $1.41 billion.
• Other institutional investors also adjusted positions, while hedge funds and other institutions still own a large majority of the company at 75.14%.
• Accenture continues to draw mixed but mostly constructive sentiment: analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus, the company recently beat earnings estimates, and it is expanding AI-related partnerships such as its investment with AlphaSense.

Capital Research Global Investors lessened its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,254,707 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 422,383 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.85% of Accenture worth $1,409,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 107.5% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 110 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Accenture’s strong earnings-surprise track record and said the company has the ingredients for another beat when it next reports results, which can lift sentiment ahead of earnings. Will Accenture (ACN) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus reiterated its Buy rating on Accenture, reinforcing the view that the stock remains attractive at current levels. Stifel Nicolaus Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Accenture (ACN)
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a strategic investment and partnership with AlphaSense to bring agentic AI workflows for market intelligence to enterprises, underscoring continued momentum in AI services and enterprise transformation. Accenture and AlphaSense Announce Strategic Investment and Partnership to Bring Agentic Workflows for Market Intelligence to Enterprises
• Positive Sentiment: TEPCO Solution Advance also said it is working with Accenture to reinvent operations with AI, adding another example of new client demand tied to Accenture’s AI consulting capabilities. TEPCO Solution Advance Teams with Accenture to Reinvent Operations with AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent opinion pieces argued that Accenture looks undervalued on earnings and cash flow metrics, which may help investor confidence, but these were commentary rather than new fundamentals. Accenture: A 57% Drop Meets A 12.8 P/E - The Ultimate Margin Of Safety
• Neutral Sentiment: Other analysis said AI is accelerating demand rather than disrupting Accenture’s business model, supporting the long-term bull case but not changing near-term results on its own. Accenture: AI Is Accelerating Instead Of Disrupting The Consultancy
• Negative Sentiment: At least one recent valuation update trimmed Accenture’s fair value estimate and another note pointed to softer IT spending and AI competition, reflecting lingering caution around growth and margins. How The Investment Story For Accenture (ACN) Is Shifting With AI And Softer IT Spending

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, HSBC lowered their price target on Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $265.54.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN stock opened at $178.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $118.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08. The business's 50 day moving average is $184.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $155.82 and a 12-month high of $321.77.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The company had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. Accenture's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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