Carmignac Gestion Lowers Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Carmignac Gestion cut its Accenture stake by 99.5% in the first quarter, selling 529,376 shares and retaining 2,665 shares worth approximately $528,000. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of Accenture.
• Accenture’s latest results exceeded earnings expectations, with quarterly EPS of $3.80 and revenue of $18.72 billion, up 5.6% year over year. The company also authorized a $2 billion share buyback and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63, representing an annualized yield of about 3.9%.
• Investor sentiment remains mixed: Accenture is pursuing AI and major digital-transformation contracts, but weak organic growth and declining bookings have raised execution concerns. Analysts’ consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $192.96 versus shares opening at $166.34.

Carmignac Gestion decreased its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 99.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,665 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 529,376 shares during the quarter. Carmignac Gestion's holdings in Accenture were worth $528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 36.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 18,438 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $6,486,000 after buying an additional 4,905 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 46.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $618,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its stake in Accenture by 49.8% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 3,639 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,088,000 after buying an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of Accenture by 23.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 828 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UniCredit digital-transformation deal: Accenture and IBM are collaborating with UniCredit to build a next-generation European banking platform. The project reinforces Accenture’s position in large, strategic technology-transformation contracts and could support future bookings and revenue. UniCredit, Accenture and IBM Collaborate to Build Europe's Next-Generation Banking Platform
• Positive Sentiment: AI strategy remains a potential catalyst: Coverage highlighted Accenture’s investments in artificial intelligence and its Edge business as opportunities to capture demand for AI implementation and enterprise modernization. Successful execution could improve growth prospects and sentiment toward the stock. Why Is Accenture Strengthening Its AI Strategy?
• Positive Sentiment: Deeply discounted valuation: Analysts noted that ACN trades at roughly 12 times fiscal 2026 earnings following a steep decline, with an approximately 4% dividend yield. The valuation has prompted cautious views that the market may be pricing in more permanent business damage than ultimately occurs. ACN Got Cheaper. The Business Did Not Get Worse
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares for about $1.7 million, reducing his holdings by 37.2%. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, it offers limited insight into current management expectations. Accenture Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Execution concerns remain: Accenture’s organic growth is weak and bookings have declined, while Capgemini’s stronger performance suggests that some of ACN’s pressure may reflect company-specific execution issues rather than industry conditions. AI initiatives are promising, but their ability to scale and expand margins remains unproven. Accenture: The Market Is Pricing In Too Much Permanent Damage

Accenture Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $166.34 on Monday. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $152.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $190.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.78 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 26.47%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.49 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the business'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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,890,450.30. The trade was a 37.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Accenture from $200.00 to $194.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, June 19th. William Blair cut Accenture from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Accenture from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $258.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $192.96.

About Accenture

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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