Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 116,666 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group cut its stake in Accenture by 7.2% in Q4, selling 116,666 shares and now holds 1,492,946 shares worth about $400.6 million.
• Company insiders have been net sellers — CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares and CAO Melissa Burgum sold 3,588, with insiders disposing of 20,256 shares (~$5.46M) in the past three months while owning just 0.02% of the stock.
• Accenture lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance, its shares hit a 52‑week low, and short interest jumped ~24% in March, creating near‑term downside pressure despite ongoing AI investments and strategic acquisitions.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,492,946 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 116,666 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.24% of Accenture worth $400,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its position in Accenture by 0.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,135,065 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $6,938,156,000 after buying an additional 118,460 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its position in Accenture by 41.1% during 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 buying an additional 4,984,930 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Accenture by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,693,994 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,869,199,000 after buying an additional 546,198 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in Accenture by 9.0% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,615,366 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $2,371,149,000 after buying an additional 790,580 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Accenture by 4.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,050,483 shares of the information technology services provider's stock valued at $1,738,649,000 after buying an additional 295,762 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total transaction of $1,008,263.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,380.79. This trade represents a 30.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,256 shares of company stock valued at $5,464,134. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture invested in Replit via Accenture Ventures to speed AI-driven software development for enterprise clients — a move that strengthens its AI tooling and go-to-market capabilities. Accenture Invests in Replit to Accelerate AI-Driven Software Development
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Keepler Data Tech adds ~240 cloud/AI professionals and deepens Accenture’s data/AI delivery capability in Europe — reinforces the company’s strategic positioning in AI and cloud services. Accenture Buys Keepler To Deepen AI Data Capabilities And Investor Story
• Positive Sentiment: UBS flagged Accenture’s AI spending as potential underestimated upside — a bullish take that could support multiple expansion if AI-driven revenue acceleration materializes. Accenture’s AI spending spree signals underestimated upside, UBS says
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary highlight mixed analyst responses and valuation debates — some trims on price targets citing booking/AI concerns, while others point to solid execution and a fair‑value anchor near $252. How The Accenture (ACN) Investment Story Is Shifting With AI Questions And Mixed Analyst Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary on which workers are affected by AI is getting attention as investors try to gauge how AI will reshape services demand and margins over time. Why Accenture's CEO Believes Entry-Level Workers Aren't the Ones Struggling with AI Today
• Negative Sentiment: Management lowered FY‑2026 revenue and EPS guidance: FY revenue guidance of ~$71.8B–$73.2B (below the ~$73.9B consensus) and EPS guidance of $13.65–$13.90 (around/below consensus), plus Q3 revenue range slightly below estimates — the guidance reset is the primary near‑term catalyst for the stock decline.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~24.1% in March to 18.24M shares (≈2.7% of shares outstanding), signaling increased bearish positioning and potential downside pressure. (Short‑interest ratio ≈ 1.9 days based on average volume.)
• Negative Sentiment: Shares hit a 52‑week low amid a broad selloff — the stock has fallen sharply over the past year and has shown negative returns across recent timeframes, prompting re‑ratings and risk reassessment by investors. Accenture stock hits 52-week low at $186.99

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $179.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $177.50 and a 1-year high of $325.71. The company has a market capitalization of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $209.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $241.50.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Accenture's payout ratio is currently 53.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ACN. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Accenture from $300.00 to $230.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $274.88.

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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