Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $175.04 Million Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its stake in Accenture by 6.5% in Q4 and now holds 649,446 shares — about $175.04 million or roughly 0.11% of the company.
• Accenture beat Q results with EPS of $2.93 versus $2.84 expected and revenue of $18.04 billion (up 7.8% YoY), and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63 ($6.52 annualized, ~3.4% yield; ex-dividend April 9, payable May 15).
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view: Accenture has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $274.50 (17 Buys vs. 10 Holds), though several firms have adjusted targets recently.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 649,446 shares of the information technology services provider's stock after selling 45,074 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.11% of Accenture worth $175,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp raised 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 raised 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 raised 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 raised 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. raised 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. This represents a 30.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,688 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,564,439.84. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,331 shares of company stock worth $4,048,871 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Accenture from $295.00 to $253.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler set a $282.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Accenture from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $274.50.

Accenture Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $194.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $129.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.12. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $177.50 and a 52 week high of $325.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.The firm's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

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

Accenture Company 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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