Accenture PLC $ACN Stock: Precedent Wealth Partners LLC Increases Stake

Precedent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 60.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,270 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares during the period. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Accenture by 147.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 110.4% in the second quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 284 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. S&G Foundation purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Accenture by 57.9% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is partnering with Google Public Sector to develop Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The tools are intended to help government customers integrate generative AI into mission workflows and internal operations, potentially strengthening Accenture’s federal pipeline and AI credentials. What Is Accenture Signaling With Its Federal AI Push and China Review?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus a $3.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while strong bookings helped drive investor optimism. These 3 Stocks Surged Following Strong Quarterly Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing strategic options for its Greater China operations, including a possible divestiture. A sale could simplify the portfolio and reduce geopolitical exposure, but the review also highlights uncertainty around the region.
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reaffirmed its Neutral rating while raising its price target to $252 from $245. The higher target acknowledges recent momentum, but remains below the referenced trading level. Baird Downgrades Accenture to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, arguing that shares had nearly doubled from their June low and that the valuation now reflects slower growth prospects. This may limit further upside unless growth accelerates. Accenture Stock Gets Downgraded as the Good News May Already Be Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares worth approximately $1.43 million, reducing his reported ownership by 83%. Insider sales are not necessarily a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but the transaction can weigh modestly on sentiment.

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,194 shares in the company, valued at $292,338.96. The trade was a 83.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total value of $149,968.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,540,029.44. This represents a 5.58% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 19,173 shares of company stock worth $3,758,527 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Accenture stock opened at $259.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $118.15 and a 52-week high of $291.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $194.57 and its 200 day moving average is $175.64. The company has a market cap of $173.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $278.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Argus upped their price target on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Evercore set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Accenture and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.52.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.