Hsbc Holdings PLC Increases Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its Accenture stake by 77.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 843,356 shares valued at about $226.8 million.
• Accenture beat quarterly EPS estimates with $3.80 per share and posted 5.6% year-over-year revenue growth, even as revenue slightly missed expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share, while analysts remain split but maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a $226.19 target price.

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 77.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 843,356 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 367,163 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.14% of Accenture worth $226,790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 13.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. increased its position in Accenture by 0.9% in the third 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 worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC increased its position in Accenture by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC now owns 5,447 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,461,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Accenture by 1.2% during the second 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 in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Accenture news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture beat quarterly EPS expectations and reported 5.6% year-over-year revenue growth, showing the business is still growing despite a tougher backdrop.
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share, which may appeal to income-focused investors and signals ongoing cash-return capacity.
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is expanding its cybersecurity push with acquisitions and investments aimed at critical infrastructure defense, which could support longer-term growth in a high-demand area. Accenture to Strengthen Critical Infrastructure Defense with End-to-End Cybersecurity Platform in Age of AI-Driven Cyber Threats and Geopolitical Risk
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and BNP Paribas lowered price targets, but many still see upside from current levels; ratings were mostly maintained at neutral or equivalent.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Accenture drawing fresh S&P 500 attention suggests investors are reassessing whether the selloff has become excessive relative to fundamentals. Why Accenture NYSE: ACN Is Drawing Fresh S&P 500 Attention?
• Negative Sentiment: Management’s reduced revenue outlook is the main catalyst behind the stock’s sharp decline, as it points to weaker client spending and slower growth ahead.
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s large cybersecurity acquisition plans are also raising questions about integration risk and capital allocation during a period of slowing growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple headlines say the weak outlook has sparked a broad selloff in IT shares globally, reinforcing the market’s negative reaction to Accenture’s guidance cut. Indian IT stocks slump up to 7% as Accenture cuts revenue outlook, fueling fresh concerns over sector growth

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $199.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Truist Financial downgraded Accenture from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $177.00 price objective (down from $240.00) on shares of Accenture in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $226.19.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $126.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $125.60 and a 12 month high of $307.77. The company has a market capitalization of $84.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.12, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's 50-day moving average is $176.76 and its 200 day moving average is $218.35.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 52.08%.

Accenture Company 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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