76,658 Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,261,453 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 76,658 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.21% of Accenture worth $230,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new position in Accenture during the second quarter valued at approximately $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Accenture by 120.0% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $690,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899,305 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Accenture by 17.7% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 6,054,682 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,110,247,000 after acquiring an additional 912,506 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in Accenture by 67.6% in the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $402,825,000 after acquiring an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 319.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,001,809 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $183,702,000 after purchasing an additional 762,827 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, CEO Julie Sweet purchased 12,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $245.99 per share, for a total transaction of $3,001,078.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 48,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,031,370.90. The trade was a 33.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $202,750.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,455,000. This trade represents a 7.63% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $250.20 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $118.15 and a 12-month high of $291.09. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $215.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $191.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS 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 company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ACN. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $150.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Evercore set a $250.00 target price on shares of Accenture and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.07.

Accenture Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.