Viking Fund Management LLC Purchases Shares of 20,000 Accenture PLC $ACN

Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 20,000 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,932,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in Accenture by 73.8% in the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture during the 1st quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Beat on revenue and earnings; bookings strength. Accenture reported Q1 FY2026 revenue (~$18.7B) and EPS that topped consensus, and management said bookings rose in the double‑digits — a core reason analysts cite for confidence. Accenture Reports First-Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI momentum and client adoption. Management said roughly 100 incremental clients started AI projects over nine quarters and emphasized AI bookings as a growth driver — a positive catalyst for longer‑term revenue mix and margins. Accenture’s AI Momentum Impresses Analysts Despite Early-Stage Rollouts
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic government/AI partnerships. Accenture Federal Services announced work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission — a high‑profile AI initiative that can expand federal revenue and credibility in cutting‑edge AI services. Accenture Partners With U.S. Department of Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and cash flow strength. Company declared a quarterly dividend ($1.63 per share) and reported stronger operating cash flow, supporting shareholder returns and the balance sheet. (Dividend announcement included in company filings.)
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional endorsement. The Aoris International Fund flagged a positive outlook on Accenture in its investor letter, signaling continued institutional interest. Aoris International Fund Has a Positive Outlook on Accenture
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed. TD Cowen raised its target to $300 (buy), Susquehanna nudged its target to $277 (neutral). These adjustments show differing views on upside but don’t move consensus decisively. TD Cowen Adjusts Price Target Susquehanna Adjusts Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term revenue guidance disappointed some. Management’s Q2 revenue range and FY revenue midpoint were viewed as slightly conservative versus Street expectations, prompting profit‑taking despite the beat. Accenture dips despite Q1 beat, Q2 revenue outlook below estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed investor concerns about AI’s long‑term impact and recent stock weakness. Some commentaries point to investor worry over how AI changes demand dynamics and note ACN’s price has pulled back from earlier highs — factors that can amplify volatility. Accenture stock price dropped after earnings

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $346,763.30. This trade represents a 64.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total transaction of $1,725,569.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $465,018.60. This trade represents a 78.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 33,319 shares of company stock valued at $8,335,225 in the last three months. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $272.57 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $252.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $263.70. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $398.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $179.48 billion, a PE ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.26.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.21. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 53.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, September 26th. UBS Group set a $320.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Friday. Rothschild Redb cut Accenture from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.29.

Accenture Profile

Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.