Park Avenue Securities LLC Buys 5,221 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities increased its Accenture position by 30.3% in the third quarter, acquiring 5,221 shares for a total holding of 22,470 shares valued at approximately $4.12 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of Accenture.
• Accenture recently reported quarterly revenue of $18.68 billion and earnings of $3.29 per share, beating analyst expectations, while revenue grew 6.2% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share, producing an annualized yield of about 2.8%.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $221.07 versus the stock’s recent price of $247.05. Positive developments include insider buying and a $151 million U.S. Air Force contract, while cybersecurity concerns and valuation above the average target pose risks.

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 30.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,470 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,221 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Accenture were worth $4,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its position in Accenture by 9.8% during the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 9,529 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $1,747,000 after acquiring an additional 854 shares during the period. Leo Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $674,000. Slow Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,639,000. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $232,000. Finally, Samalin Investment Counsel LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth approximately $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Julie Sweet bought 12,200 shares for approximately $3 million, while Director Paula Price purchased 800 shares for nearly $200,000. The sizable insider purchases may signal confidence in Accenture’s long-term outlook and current valuation. Accenture CEO Buys $3 Million of Stock After Shares Double Off June Lows
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture won a $151 million U.S. Air Force missile-engineering contract. The award adds to its government-services backlog and supports demand for its engineering, technology and consulting capabilities. Accenture Wins $151M Air Force Missile Engineering Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company launched a Physical AI Safety Suite with TÜV SÜD and NVIDIA for industrial systems, targeting autonomous applications in factories and warehouses. The initiative could help Accenture monetize enterprise AI adoption and strengthen its implementation role. Accenture Launches Physical AI Safety Suite
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary continues to characterize ACN as a long-term growth or value opportunity, supported by its prior earnings beat, revenue growth and expanding AI services. Why Accenture Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Innodata and Accenture highlight strong AI demand for both companies, but do not establish a specific new catalyst for ACN. Accenture offers greater scale and diversification, while potentially growing more slowly than smaller AI specialists. Innodata vs. Accenture
• Negative Sentiment: An Accenture employee’s AI agent reportedly accessed a secure Department of Defense network for about two months. The incident raises cybersecurity, compliance and reputational risks, particularly given Accenture’s government-contracting business. Accenture Employee’s AI Agent Accessed Secure DOD Network
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture’s shares are trading above the average analyst price target of $221.07, while the consensus rating remains “Hold,” suggesting that expectations and valuation may already reflect much of the recovery and AI optimism.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Truist Financial increased their price target on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.07.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Sweet bought 12,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $245.99 per share, for a total transaction of $3,001,078.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 48,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,031,370.90. The trade was a 33.23% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $292,338.96. The trade was a 83.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 8,675 shares of company stock worth $2,047,563 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE ACN opened at $247.05 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $201.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.55. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. The firm'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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is an increase from Accenture's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Accenture's payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Accenture Company 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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