Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Purchased by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,148,970 shares during the period. Accenture comprises about 0.8% of Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 1.54% of Accenture worth $2,502,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Investors Research Corp increased its holdings in Accenture by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the third quarter worth $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 146.0% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $286.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $176.27 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.25. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $398.35. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $264.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.12.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup raised Accenture to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total value of $1,725,569.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $465,018.60. This represents a 78.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at $346,763.30. The trade was a 64.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,076 shares of company stock valued at $10,256,788. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Accenture

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.