Ethic Inc. Acquires 9,446 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its Accenture stake 13.9%, buying 9,446 shares in the third quarter to hold 77,408 shares valued at about $14.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of the company.
• Accenture’s latest quarterly results beat estimates: earnings were $3.29 per share and revenue was $18.68 billion, up 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $1.63 to $1.71 per share.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with an average price target of $221.07. Separately, Accenture is working with Mondelēz International to apply agentic AI to its order-to-cash operations; the project’s contract value was not disclosed.

Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 77,408 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,446 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Accenture were worth $14,194,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Accenture by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 2,249 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Accenture by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 323 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Equity Partners LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 50.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture and Mondelēz International are applying agentic AI to redesign Mondelēz’s global order-to-cash operations, including ordering, invoicing and collections. The project showcases demand for Accenture’s AI services, though no contract value or expected revenue was disclosed. Accenture expands AI work with a major consumer goods customer
• Positive Sentiment: A valuation analysis says ACN trades at about 18 times forward earnings, below its 10-year average of 24 times, even after a strong recent rally. That could appeal to investors who see room for the valuation to recover. Accenture’s valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 10,000 shares for $2.7 million, reducing his direct holdings by about 62.5%. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, so it is not necessarily a signal about his outlook for the company. Accenture CEO share sale
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture fell even as the market rose, indicating relative weakness in the session. The report describes the decline but does not point to a specific company catalyst. Accenture stock underperforms as the market gains

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Mizuho increased their price objective on Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 target price on Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $221.07.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $264,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at $2,511,200. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total value of $1,430,844.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at $292,338.96. This trade represents a 83.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 18,675 shares of company stock valued at $4,747,563 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE ACN opened at $260.36 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $210.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $191.91.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.03 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions.

The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.

Accenture traces its roots to the consulting business of accounting firm Arthur Andersen.

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