Accenture PLC $ACN Holdings Decreased by Ledyard National Bank

Ledyard National Bank lowered its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 10.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,314 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 2,018 shares during the quarter. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Accenture by 147.1% in the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Accenture by 134.8% in the 1st quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 155 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 110.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 284 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. S&G Foundation bought a new position in Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Accenture by 57.9% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.84, for a total value of $1,430,844.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $292,338.96. This represents a 83.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total value of $1,710,964.04. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock worth $3,758,527. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $226.00 to $241.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.52.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture Federal Services is partnering with Google Public Sector to develop Gemini launchpads for U.S. federal agencies. The tools are intended to help government customers integrate generative AI into mission workflows and internal operations, potentially strengthening Accenture’s federal pipeline and AI credentials. What Is Accenture Signaling With Its Federal AI Push and China Review?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.29 per share versus a $3.18 consensus estimate and revenue of $18.68 billion versus $18.03 billion expected. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while strong bookings helped drive investor optimism. These 3 Stocks Surged Following Strong Quarterly Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Accenture is reviewing strategic options for its Greater China operations, including a possible divestiture. A sale could simplify the portfolio and reduce geopolitical exposure, but the review also highlights uncertainty around the region.
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reaffirmed its Neutral rating while raising its price target to $252 from $245. The higher target acknowledges recent momentum, but remains below the referenced trading level. Baird Downgrades Accenture to Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded Accenture from Outperform to Neutral, arguing that shares had nearly doubled from their June low and that the valuation now reflects slower growth prospects. This may limit further upside unless growth accelerates. Accenture Stock Gets Downgraded as the Good News May Already Be Priced In
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 5,844 shares worth approximately $1.43 million, reducing his reported ownership by 83%. Insider sales are not necessarily a signal of deteriorating fundamentals, but the transaction can weigh modestly on sentiment.

Accenture Stock Performance

Accenture stock opened at $259.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $194.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.64. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $118.15 and a 1-year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%. Accenture’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.71 dividend. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

About Accenture

Accenture plc is a global professional services company that helps organizations transform their businesses through consulting, technology and managed services. Its work spans strategy and consulting, technology implementation, operations, and interactive customer experiences.

The company provides services in areas including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and analytics, digital engineering, enterprise software, systems integration and business process outsourcing.