Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Decreases Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its Accenture stake by 41.9% in Q4, selling 114,029 shares and finishing the quarter with 158,327 shares worth about $42.48 million.
• Analysts have recently reduced targets, but the consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $274.88 after downgrades from firms including TD Cowen and Morgan Stanley.
• Insiders have been net sellers — including CEO Julie Spellman Sweet's sale of 6,057 shares — with 20,256 shares (~$5.46M) sold in the past 90 days, and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share (3.4% yield).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 41.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 158,327 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 114,029 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Accenture were worth $42,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 878 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 0.9% during 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 in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $320.00 to $240.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $309.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $274.88.

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total transaction of $786,883.03. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares in the company, valued at $2,033,333.41. This trade represents a 27.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 20,256 shares of company stock worth $5,464,134 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Trading Up 6.9%

NYSE ACN opened at $191.89 on Tuesday. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $177.50 and a 12 month high of $325.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a market capitalization of $127.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.24. The company's fifty day moving average price is $207.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $241.23.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.82 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture's dividend payout ratio is 53.40%.

About Accenture

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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