Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 19,825 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group cut its Accenture stake by 16.3% in Q4, selling 19,825 shares and leaving it with 101,832 shares valued at about $27.3 million.
• Accenture recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 and revenue of $18.04 billion, both ahead of analyst estimates and revenue up 7.8% year over year.
• The company continues to attract attention for its AI-driven growth strategy, including new partnerships with AlphaSense and TEPCO Solution Advance, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy view with an average price target of $265.54.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lowered its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 101,832 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 19,825 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Accenture were worth $27,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter worth $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Accenture in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. increased its stake in Accenture by 107.5% in the fourth quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 110 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $178.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $155.82 and a one year high of $321.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.75 billion, a PE ratio of 14.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. Accenture's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 13.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture News Roundup

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ACN. HSBC reduced their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Accenture from $309.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Truist Financial cut Accenture from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $260.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $265.54.

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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