3,131 Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by First Merchants Corp

First Merchants Corp cut its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 7.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 38,560 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 3,131 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Accenture were worth $7,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Accenture by 134.8% in the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 57.9% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 147.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 price target on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. William Blair downgraded Accenture from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, UBS Group set a $278.00 target price on Accenture in a report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.26.

Accenture Price Performance

Accenture stock opened at $224.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $188.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.15. 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 $150.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.11.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted 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. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be given a dividend of $1.71 per share. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Accenture declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.24, for a total value of $149,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,540,029.44. The trade was a 5.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,518 shares of company stock worth $2,124,932. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined a three-year framework targeting at least mid-single-digit revenue growth, with potential acceleration through fiscal 2029. RBC said artificial intelligence is becoming a net demand driver, supporting expectations for stronger consulting and technology-services bookings. Accenture Sees AI as Net Demand Driver
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded alliances with Dell Technologies, Workday and Anthropic, along with the acquisition of Sagacity Solutions, reinforce Accenture’s strategy of helping enterprises deploy agentic AI, private AI infrastructure and AI-powered customer analytics. These initiatives could increase demand for consulting, implementation and managed services. Accenture AI Deals and Dividend Hike
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture raised its quarterly dividend to $1.71 per share from $1.63, equivalent to an annualized $6.84 payout and an approximately 3.2% yield. The company also has an authorized $2 billion share-repurchase program, improving shareholder returns and signaling confidence in the valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded estimates, with earnings of $3.29 per share and revenue of $18.68 billion, up 6.2% year over year. Strong cash flow, bookings and a relatively modest valuation remain additional supports for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target to $230 from $210 but kept a neutral rating. TD Cowen also lifted its target, to $201 from $193, while retaining a hold rating. The mixed recommendations suggest analysts see improved prospects but limited near-term upside after the rally. Accenture Trending Stock Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that cautious client spending, pricing pressure, acquisition dependence and execution risk could limit growth. Some commentary also argues that the recent rally has outpaced Accenture’s underlying fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 700 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was relatively small and planned in advance, but it may modestly weigh on sentiment. Accenture Insider Transaction

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.