Pzena Investment Management LLC Has $477.02 Million Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Pzena Investment Management boosted its Accenture stake by 84% in the first quarter, adding more than 1.09 million shares and ending with 2.41 million shares worth about $477 million.
• Accenture continues to draw institutional interest, with several major investors increasing or initiating positions, and institutions/hedge funds now owning about 75.14% of the stock.
• The company recently reported earnings above expectations and announced a $2 billion share repurchase program plus a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share, even as analysts remain mixed with a consensus rating of Hold.

Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 84.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,097,961 shares during the quarter. Accenture accounts for about 1.6% of Pzena Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Pzena Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.36% of Accenture worth $477,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Accenture during the fourth quarter worth about $2,146,995,000. Capital International Investors raised 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 valued at $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $311,694,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Accenture by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,192,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,855 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the third quarter worth about $268,578,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture was named an inaugural AI Specialization partner by NiCE, reinforcing its push to move from AI hype to real enterprise deployments and strengthening its positioning in AI services. Accenture (ACN) Lands NiCE AI Partner Recognition As Its Enterprise Push Expands
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Accenture’s compressed valuation, strong cash generation, dividend profile, and buyback support, which may be encouraging investors looking for a cheaper entry point in a high-quality services name. Top 25 High-Growth Dividend Stocks For July 2026
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Accenture to $151 from $150 while keeping a Hold rating, signaling slightly improved expectations tied to a higher share-repurchase outlook. Is Accenture (ACN) One of the Most Promising Future Stocks to Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also focused on the Q3 2026 earnings call transcript, which could provide more color on demand trends, AI-related bookings, and management’s outlook. Accenture Q3 2026 Earnings Call: Complete Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the recent rebound in interest, some commentary still frames Accenture as a deep drawdown story facing AI-driven disruption concerns, which keeps sentiment cautious and may limit upside until growth reaccelerates. Accenture: One Of The Most Attractive Valuations I Have Ever Seen

Accenture Price Performance

ACN opened at $130.96 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $87.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.14. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $307.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $166.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $210.09.

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

Accenture declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 52.08%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ACN shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 15th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $226.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on Accenture from $225.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $195.00.

Accenture 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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