Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Bought by Focused Investors LLC

Focused Investors LLC lifted its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 11.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 548,800 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 56,400 shares during the quarter. Accenture comprises approximately 4.2% of Focused Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Focused Investors LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $100,633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 10.4% during the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $9,232,000 after buying an additional 7,018 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 63.5% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 26,565 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,871,000 after buying an additional 10,322 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 72.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,455 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,421,000 after buying an additional 8,169 shares in the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,108,000. Finally, Bright Rock Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth about $7,466,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ACN. Stifel Nicolaus set a $242.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. UBS Group set a $278.00 target price on Accenture in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Argus raised their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,455,000. This trade represents a 7.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $264,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,511,200. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,675 shares of company stock worth $2,047,563. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $254.51 on Wednesday. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $205.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $150.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.01.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. The company’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, research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.