Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Bought by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,532 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,275 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,637,640,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Accenture in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,216,850,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Accenture by 2.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $19,466,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315,548 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Accenture by 12.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,502,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at $308,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ACN shares. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research lifted their price target on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Argus decreased their price objective on Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.38.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, insider Manish Sharma sold 2,731 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.13, for a total value of $786,883.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,033,333.41. This trade represents a 27.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $366,300.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 28,207 shares in the company, valued at $7,756,925. This trade represents a 4.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 21,934 shares of company stock valued at $5,965,166 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Berenberg initiated coverage with a bullish take centered on Accenture’s AI positioning, highlighting the company’s ability to monetize GenAI services and partnerships — a catalyst for longer?term revenue and margin expansion. Accenture’s AI Advantage Sparks Bullish Initiation by Berenberg
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary and research note series emphasize Accenture’s momentum: earnings beat, reiterated FY?2026 guidance, dividend and active M&A/talent investment (supports growth and shareholder returns). These fundamentals underpin analyst support and institutional interest. Earnings, guidance & dividend summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks and others) points to robust liquidity and buyout activity as additional levers for growth and margin improvement — reinforces the long?term momentum case for investors focused on GenAI and consulting demand. Buyouts & Robust Liquidity Aid Accenture
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank nudged its price target up to $280 but kept a “hold” rating — a modest tweak that provides limited near?term uplift given the conservative stance. Deutsche Bank Raises Price Target to $280
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales by senior executives (CEO John Walsh, CAO Melissa Burgum, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan, General Counsel Joel Unruch) occurred this week — the aggregate size and timing can trigger short?term selling pressure and feed investor concern about insider confidence. Insider Selling: COO Sells $185K; cluster of Form 4s
• Negative Sentiment: High?profile insider filings are repeated across multiple officers and days, increasing perceived supply and likely amplifying downward moves by traders reacting to disclosure rather than fundamentals. CEO Form 4 (SEC filing)

Accenture Stock Down 1.8%

ACN stock opened at $275.70 on Wednesday. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $229.40 and a one year high of $398.35. The company has a fifty day moving average of $269.29 and a 200-day moving average of $258.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.72 billion, a PE ratio of 22.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 53.88%.

Accenture Company 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.