Lbp Am Sa Sells 18,972 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Lbp Am Sa trimmed its Accenture stake by 17%, selling 18,972 shares in Q4 and now holds 92,913 shares worth about $24.93 million per its 13F filing.
• Company insiders including the COO and CEO have recently sold stock; insiders disposed of 15,331 shares valued at $4,048,871 in the past 90 days and now own just 0.02% of the company.
• Accenture beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.93 vs. $2.84; revenue $18.04B vs. $17.80B), announced a quarterly dividend of $1.63 (annual $6.52, ~3.4% yield), and holds a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $274.50 target.

Lbp Am Sa decreased its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,913 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 18,972 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in Accenture were worth $24,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Capital International Investors increased its position in Accenture by 41.1% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $4,223,839,000 after buying an additional 4,984,930 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the third quarter worth about $311,694,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Accenture by 12.8% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $2,502,446,000 after buying an additional 1,148,970 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Accenture in the third quarter worth about $268,578,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Accenture by 85.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,041,945 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $503,544,000 after buying an additional 943,371 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,564,439.84. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 15,331 shares of company stock valued at $4,048,871 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE ACN opened at $193.94 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $129.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $177.50 and a twelve month high of $325.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $205.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.56.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors 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 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture, via Accenture Ventures, invested in AI-native General Robotics to advance physical AI-powered robotics for manufacturing and logistics — expands Accenture’s automation/AI IP and go-to-market in industrial automation. Accenture Invests in General Robotics to Advance Physical AI-Powered Robotics in Manufacturing and Logistics
• Positive Sentiment: ACN announced the acquisition of Keepler Data Tech, a Spanish cloud-native AI & data firm — broadens Accenture’s European data/AI delivery capacity and accelerates client cloud/AI implementations. Accenture (ACN) Announces Acquisition of Keepler Data Tech
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services won an engagement to deliver early operating capability for the DOE’s Genesis CM2US mission — a high‑profile government contract that underlines AFS’s role in national critical‑materials and energy initiatives. Accenture Federal Services to Deliver Early Operating Capability for DOE's Genesis Mission CM2US
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish research pieces and investor commentary highlighted Accenture’s durable fundamentals and attractive valuation (Oakmark note, Zacks, Seeking Alpha upgrade), supporting investor interest in the name. Accenture: A Lot More Appealing Proposition, Even If Growth Is Lackluster (Rating Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces explain Accenture’s role in digital transformation and attempt to contextualize recent moves for investors — helpful background but not immediate catalysts. How Accenture NYSE: ACN Drives Digital Transformation on the S&P 500 Index?
• Neutral Sentiment: Quick market roundups and “what’s going on” stories are summarizing the mix of corporate wins and analyst notes — useful for retail readers but neutral for immediate price direction. SA analyst upgrades/downgrades: NVDA, JNJ, KO, ACN
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a downgrade to Hold, citing skepticism about near‑term growth acceleration — a clear near‑term headwind to sentiment. Accenture: Downgrade To Hold As Near-Term Growth Acceleration Seems Unlikely
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC trimmed its price target from $220 to $210 and kept a Hold rating — lowers the near‑term upside reflected in sell‑side guidance. HSBC Adjusts Price Target on Accenture to $210 From $220, Maintains Hold Rating

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. HSBC reduced their price target on Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Susquehanna upped their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $274.50.

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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