Janus Henderson Group PLC Lowers Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

Janus Henderson Group PLC decreased its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 69.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 165,001 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 380,162 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $32,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the fourth quarter worth about $2,146,995,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Accenture by 120.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $690,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $311,694,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,192,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,855 shares during the period. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Accenture by 84.0% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $477,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097,961 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. The trade was a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

Shares of ACN opened at $166.34 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $190.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market capitalization of $111.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $118.15 and a 52-week high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 26.47%. The firm had revenue of $18.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, June 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.08%.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UniCredit digital-transformation deal: Accenture and IBM are collaborating with UniCredit to build a next-generation European banking platform. The project reinforces Accenture’s position in large, strategic technology-transformation contracts and could support future bookings and revenue. UniCredit, Accenture and IBM Collaborate to Build Europe’s Next-Generation Banking Platform
• Positive Sentiment: AI strategy remains a potential catalyst: Coverage highlighted Accenture’s investments in artificial intelligence and its Edge business as opportunities to capture demand for AI implementation and enterprise modernization. Successful execution could improve growth prospects and sentiment toward the stock. Why Is Accenture Strengthening Its AI Strategy?
• Positive Sentiment: Deeply discounted valuation: Analysts noted that ACN trades at roughly 12 times fiscal 2026 earnings following a steep decline, with an approximately 4% dividend yield. The valuation has prompted cautious views that the market may be pricing in more permanent business damage than ultimately occurs. ACN Got Cheaper. The Business Did Not Get Worse
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares for about $1.7 million, reducing his holdings by 37.2%. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, it offers limited insight into current management expectations. Accenture Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Execution concerns remain: Accenture’s organic growth is weak and bookings have declined, while Capgemini’s stronger performance suggests that some of ACN’s pressure may reflect company-specific execution issues rather than industry conditions. AI initiatives are promising, but their ability to scale and expand margins remains unproven. Accenture: The Market Is Pricing In Too Much Permanent Damage

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ACN. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $253.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $180.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore set a $180.00 price objective on Accenture in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Accenture from $200.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.96.

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.