Box Hill Private Wealth LLC Purchases New Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Box Hill Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 5,904 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,083,000. Accenture accounts for about 0.8% of Box Hill Private Wealth LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Accenture by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $7,583,462,000 after acquiring an additional 129,610 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,687,867,000 after purchasing an additional 343,420 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,192,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,855 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Accenture by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,393,818 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,447,161,000 after purchasing an additional 63,760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Accenture by 2.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,531,231 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,295,078,000 after buying an additional 143,483 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accenture Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE ACN traded down $3.75 during trading on Monday, reaching $195.15. 6,993,670 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,002,963. The company has a market capitalization of $130.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $180.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.46. 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 twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released 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. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. The business’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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a $1.71 dividend. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 48.08%.

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

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s stronger-than-expected full-year revenue forecast helped lift India’s Nifty IT Index and eased concerns that artificial-intelligence disruption could reduce enterprise technology spending. The development reinforces expectations for resilient demand across IT services. Accenture forecast boosts Indian IT stocks
• Positive Sentiment: The company completed its acquisition of Denmark-based Mjølner Informatics, adding software-engineering capabilities serving energy, utilities and manufacturing clients. The deal could strengthen Accenture’s industry expertise and expand its European delivery platform. Accenture completes acquisition of Mjølner Informatics
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlights Accenture’s sizable free cash flow, strong return on equity and substantial buybacks and dividends, providing support for the stock’s investment case. Is Accenture Really Priced Like Its Best Days Are Over?
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture’s latest results exceeded expectations, with quarterly revenue up year over year, while analyst coverage remains mixed: some firms raised targets or see upside, Guggenheim maintained a Neutral rating, and a new analyst roundup points to additional upgrades and downgrades. Accenture stock price expected to rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is identified as an active cybersecurity acquirer, suggesting that cybersecurity and adjacent capabilities are strategic priorities, although the investment benefits may take time to appear in results. The Biggest Buyers in Cybersecurity Now Are Not Cybersecurity Companies
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are examining Accenture’s reliance on international revenue, which creates exposure to foreign economies, currencies and regional technology budgets. A separate analysis characterizes the company as a potential warning signal for broader enterprise IT spending, keeping investors cautious despite the improved forecast. Why Accenture international revenue trends deserve attention

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ACN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price target on Accenture in a report on Friday. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.