Windward Capital Management Co. CA Sells 4,110 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Windward Capital Management Co. CA reduced its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 118,790 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 4,110 shares during the period. Accenture comprises approximately 2.5% of Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Accenture were worth $31,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 96.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Down 6.1%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $178.49 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $200.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $238.35. The firm has a market cap of $118.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $174.87 and a 12-month high of $325.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.82 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 13.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 53.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ACN. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. HSBC reduced their target price on Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $330.00 to $265.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Argus decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,688 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,564,439.84. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,305 shares of company stock worth $3,759,847. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Accenture 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.