6,000 Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Commons Capital LLC

Commons Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 44.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,500 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 6,000 shares during the period. Accenture accounts for approximately 0.9% of Commons Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Commons Capital LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $1,375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 11.2% in the third quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 117,589 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $21,562,000 after buying an additional 11,873 shares in the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 10.4% during the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $9,232,000 after acquiring an additional 7,018 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 63.5% during the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 26,565 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,871,000 after acquiring an additional 10,322 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 72.4% during the second quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 19,455 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,421,000 after acquiring an additional 8,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new position in Accenture during the second quarter valued at $25,108,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.00, for a total transaction of $2,700,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 5,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,618,920. The trade was a 62.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,820 shares in the company, valued at $2,455,000. The trade was a 7.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,675 shares of company stock worth $4,747,563. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ACN. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets set a $235.00 price objective on Accenture in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded Accenture from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $245.00 to $252.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.07.

Accenture Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $253.46 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $149.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.01. Accenture PLC has a 12 month low of $118.15 and a 12 month high of $291.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $214.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.50.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.44%.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Investors following ACN have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is part of a multiyear Qantas agreement to modernize operations, demonstrating its ability to win large transformation projects. Qantas plans to cut 850 jobs over the coming years as it changes its operations; those are Qantas job cuts, not Accenture layoffs. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: An Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board digital overhaul led by Accenture reportedly reduced employer registration time from days to under ten minutes. This concrete client outcome may help support the case for demand for its services. Accenture WSIB win article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons with Palo Alto Networks, Adobe, Intuit and Cognizant emphasize Accenture’s scale, client base and cash generation, while noting that some peers have stronger growth or may look more attractive to investors. These comparisons could shape sentiment but are not new company results. Accenture vs. Palo Alto Networks article

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps businesses, governments and other organizations solve operational and technology challenges. Its work includes strategy and management consulting, digital transformation, systems integration and the design, implementation and management of technology solutions. The company serves clients across a broad range of industries and geographies. Its services span cloud computing, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software and platforms, business process operations, and digital marketing and customer experience.