Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Buys 20,228 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACNFree Report) by 19.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 123,508 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,228 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $24,490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Accenture during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Up 5.2%

NYSE:ACN opened at $130.96 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $166.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $210.09. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $307.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $87.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.14.

Accenture (NYSE:ACNGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.49 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 EPS for the current year.

Accenture declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.08%.

Key Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACN. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Berenberg Bank lowered their target price on Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Accenture from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Accenture from $253.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Accenture

Accenture Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Accenture (NYSE:ACN)

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