Gibbs Wealth Management Makes New Investment in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Gibbs Wealth Management acquired 5,734 Accenture shares worth approximately $1.05 million in the third quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Accenture has a consensus “Hold” rating with a $219.52 target price, despite several firms raising targets and issuing “Buy” recommendations.
• Accenture exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with EPS of $3.29 and revenue of $18.68 billion, while increasing its quarterly dividend from $1.63 to $1.71 per share. Insiders, including the CEO, sold shares totaling about $3.76 million over the last quarter.

Gibbs Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,734 shares of the information technology services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,051,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,998,000. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 4.0% during the third quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in Accenture by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 14,566 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,852 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,807,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co raised its holdings in Accenture by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 84,018 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $15,406,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Argus lifted their price objective on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Accenture from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.52.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $292,338.96. This trade represents a 83.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,820 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,000. The trade was a 7.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock valued at $3,758,527. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN stock opened at $249.42 on Monday. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $118.15 and a one year high of $291.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $196.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.11.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s consensus price target reportedly increased 12.22% to $238.14, while a bullish analysis projects an additional 23% total return through December 2027. These updates suggest some analysts continue to see upside from the company’s AI and digital-transformation growth. Accenture consensus price target increased Accenture total return analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is working with Google Public Sector on Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The initiative could expand Accenture’s government AI pipeline and reinforce its position as a generative-AI implementation partner. Accenture federal AI push
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results surpassed expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus $3.18 expected and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue grew 6.2% year over year, and Accenture also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing options for its Greater China business, potentially including a divestiture. A sale could reduce geopolitical exposure and simplify operations, but the review introduces uncertainty about the region’s future contribution.
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, citing the stock’s sharp rebound and concern that the valuation already reflects much of the expected growth. Baird maintained a $252 price target, offering limited upside relative to recent trading levels. Baird downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold approximately $1.43 million of stock, reducing his direct holdings by 83%, while Chief Accounting Officer Melissa Burgum sold $202,750 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Planned sales do not necessarily signal weaker fundamentals, but the transactions may weigh on sentiment.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.

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