3,350 Shares in Accenture PLC $ACN Purchased by M Holdings Securities Inc.

M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,350 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $614,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Accenture by 2.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,295,078,000 after acquiring an additional 143,483 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Accenture by 17.7% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 6,054,682 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,110,247,000 after purchasing an additional 912,506 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Accenture by 120.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Accenture by 24.3% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,384,954 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $472,913,000 after purchasing an additional 466,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in Accenture by 67.6% during the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $402,825,000 after purchasing an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is working with Qantas to modernize its operations, providing evidence of continued demand for its transformation services. Qantas said the program will involve cutting 850 jobs over the coming years; the reductions are at Qantas, not Accenture. Reuters: Australia’s Qantas to axe 850 jobs in offshoring deal with Accenture
• Positive Sentiment: A WSIB digital modernization project involving Accenture reduced employer registration from eight to ten business days to under ten minutes. The result offers a concrete example of Accenture’s ability to deliver cloud-based transformation and could help support future client sales. Ontario WSIB project announcement
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. management and technical consulting employment rose by 17,300 in October, its biggest monthly increase since December 2024. The gain may indicate improving demand for consulting services, although it does not guarantee higher spending at Accenture. The Overlooked AI Trade Hiding in a Beaten-Down Corner of the Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons describe Accenture as a large, profitable company with strong cash generation, but note that its revenue has fluctuated while some software peers have shown steadier growth. These comparisons highlight competitive strengths and trade-offs rather than a new change in the company’s outlook. Accenture vs. Adobe comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: The Qantas job cuts may draw scrutiny because the modernization arrangement includes offshoring, though the reporting does not indicate a direct financial or operational cost to Accenture. Qantas to Cut 850 Jobs After Tech Deal With Accenture

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the company’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 value of $1,430,844.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $292,338.96. This represents a 83.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Sweet purchased 12,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $245.99 per share, for a total transaction of $3,001,078.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 48,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,031,370.90. The trade was a 33.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

NYSE:ACN opened at $258.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.97 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $213.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ACN. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group set a $278.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.07.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.