Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Acquired by Davis Rea LTD.

Davis Rea LTD. boosted its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 27,092 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,940 shares during the period. Accenture accounts for approximately 1.4% of Davis Rea LTD.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Davis Rea LTD.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $4,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 4.5% in the first quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 1,073 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 38.0% in the 1st quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 218 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. GS Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.5% during the first quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 12,415 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,462,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 1.4% in the second quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 4,526 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accenture Trading Down 0.7%

ACN stock traded down $1.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $213.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,309,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,998,098. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.80. The stock has a market cap of $142.45 billion, a PE ratio of 15.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $18.68 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a $1.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.08%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,511,200. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,518 shares of company stock valued at $2,124,932. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on ACN shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Accenture from $173.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Dbs Bank cut Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.15.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture acquired Sagacity Solutions, a UK customer-intelligence company, to expand AI-driven customer services across Accenture Song’s UK and Ireland operations. The deal could strengthen the company’s AI capabilities and support cross-selling opportunities. Accenture Acquires Sagacity Solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and research commentary point to AI momentum, strategic acquisitions, strong cash flow and a relatively discounted valuation as reasons to remain constructive on ACN. Accenture is targeting at least $11 billion in free cash flow and more than $9.5 billion for dividends and share repurchases in fiscal 2027. Accenture Valuation and Market Sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity indicates increased speculative bullish interest, with approximately 58,099 calls purchased versus typical volume of about 16,712 contracts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture’s shares have surged roughly 60% over three months following earnings and guidance updates, prompting investors to reassess whether the rally already reflects much of the AI opportunity. Accenture Stock Rally Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching upcoming company-related events and analyst commentary for evidence that AI demand is translating into faster revenue growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns remain about cautious client spending, pricing pressure and fiscal 2027 revenue growth of approximately 3% to 6%. These issues could limit earnings acceleration despite AI demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Operating Officer John Walsh reportedly sold approximately $264,000 of ACN stock, a modest insider transaction but a potential short-term sentiment headwind. Accenture Insider Sale

About Accenture

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.