Keybank National Association OH Sells 13,086 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Keybank National Association OH trimmed its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 210,731 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 13,086 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH’s holdings in Accenture were worth $38,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Accenture by 2.2% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 143,483 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Accenture by 17.7% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 912,506 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $690,475,000 after buying an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at $309,873,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $472,913,000 after buying an additional 466,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

More Accenture News

Here’s some of the latest news about ACN:

• Positive Sentiment: An Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board digital overhaul led by Accenture reportedly reduced employer registration time from days to under ten minutes. This concrete client outcome may help support the case for demand for its services. Accenture WSIB win article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons with Palo Alto Networks, Adobe, Intuit and Cognizant emphasize Accenture’s scale, client base and cash generation, while noting that some peers have stronger growth or may look more attractive to investors. These comparisons could shape sentiment but are not new company results. Accenture vs. Palo Alto Networks article
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture had rallied about 31.5% from October 6 through November 9, leaving room for profit-taking. Coverage also raises a relative-value question versus Cognizant, which could weigh on near-term investor enthusiasm after the run-up. Accenture and Cognizant comparison

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on ACN. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Robert W. Baird cut Accenture from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $245.00 to $252.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Accenture from $193.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $221.07.

Accenture Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $253.46 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09. The stock has a market cap of $149.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $214.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $191.50.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is 50.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Julie Sweet purchased 12,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $245.99 per share, with a total value of $3,001,078.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 48,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,031,370.90. This trade represents a 33.23% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Profile

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.