South Dakota Investment Council Grows Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• South Dakota Investment Council increased its Accenture stake by 19.2% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 70,450 shares valued at approximately $13.97 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.14% of ACN.
• Accenture’s latest quarter exceeded earnings expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.80 versus the $3.70 consensus and revenue up 5.6% year over year to $18.72 billion. However, analysts remain cautious, giving the stock a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $192.96.
• The company announced a $2 billion share-repurchase authorization and a quarterly dividend of $1.63, equal to an annualized $6.52 payout and a 3.8% yield. Accenture’s fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is approximately $13.78–$13.90.

South Dakota Investment Council increased its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 19.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,450 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after buying an additional 11,349 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council's holdings in Accenture were worth $13,970,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Accenture by 40.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 182,581 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $36,204,000 after purchasing an additional 52,358 shares in the last quarter. Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Accenture by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Evelyn Partners Asset Management Ltd now owns 24,767 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $4,911,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Accenture by 24.3% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $472,913,000 after buying an additional 466,452 shares during the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 134.8% in the first quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Excelsior Advisor Network LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 2.0% during the first quarter. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC now owns 3,323 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Accenture from $177.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Accenture from $253.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price target on Accenture in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $192.96.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture announced a $2 billion share-repurchase program and a new quarterly dividend, providing a direct boost to shareholder returns. The move followed fiscal third-quarter results that included adjusted earnings of $3.80 per share, above the $3.70 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 5.6% year over year to $18.72 billion. Why Are Accenture Shares Soaring Today
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture and Radisson Hotel Group launched an AI-powered hotel-discovery application within ChatGPT. The tool allows travelers to search more than 1,000 properties in over 100 countries using natural language and then complete bookings through Radisson’s website. The project strengthens Accenture’s position in “agentic commerce” and could lead to further travel-industry transformation work. Radisson Hotel Group and Accenture Redefine Travel Discovery on ChatGPT
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture’s earnings preview and recent investor commentary highlight a mixed backdrop: the company benefits from strong demand for AI-related services, but growth has lagged some higher-momentum AI companies. Management’s fiscal 2026 earnings guidance of approximately $13.78–$13.90 per share remains an important measure for investors. Accenture Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: A comparison with Palantir argues that Palantir currently has stronger U.S. commercial growth, larger AI contracts, and better estimates. The comparison reinforces concerns that Accenture could face slower growth or disruption as clients adopt AI tools and as competition intensifies. PLTR vs. ACN

Accenture Stock Up 5.2%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $173.23 on Thursday. 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 $118.15 and a 12-month high of $291.09. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $153.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.08%.

Accenture declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.