Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Acquires 15,599 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in Accenture by 17.8%, buying 15,599 shares to hold 103,280 shares valued at about $27.71 million at the end of the quarter.
• Accenture is doubling down on AI and cloud capabilities—investing in Replit and acquiring Keepler—which analysts (including UBS) say could be an underestimated upside driver for the company.
• Near-term headwinds include management’s lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance, a ~24% jump in short interest and a 52‑week low for the stock, prompting some price-target cuts despite a recent earnings beat and a 3.6% dividend yield.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,280 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,599 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.'s holdings in Accenture were worth $27,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Accenture by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 878 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $236,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. now owns 4,416 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,751 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 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: 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

Accenture Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $179.33 on Monday. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $177.50 and a 12 month high of $325.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $209.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.52. The firm has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.24.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the business posted $2.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $313.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $274.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,298,380.79. The trade was a 30.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 20,256 shares of company stock valued at $5,464,134 over the last 90 days. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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