Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Sold by Park National Corp OH

Park National Corp OH lessened its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 6.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 206,295 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 13,753 shares during the quarter. Accenture comprises 1.0% of Park National Corp OH’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Accenture were worth $37,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $215,000. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture in the third quarter valued at approximately $361,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 33.8% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 30,041 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $3,738,000 after acquiring an additional 7,591 shares in the last quarter. Andra AP fonden raised its position in shares of Accenture by 92.5% during the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 121,326 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $15,098,000 after purchasing an additional 58,300 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 172,023 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $21,406,000 after purchasing an additional 13,244 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday. 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 report on Friday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “reduce” rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Accenture from $153.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.59.

Insider Activity

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

Accenture Stock Performance

ACN stock traded down $4.65 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $194.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,002,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,981,185. The stock has a market cap of $129.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $180.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.46. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.53% and a net margin of 11.28%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS 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 given a dividend of $1.71 per share. 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 3.5%. This is an increase from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 48.08%.

Accenture declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s forecast for stronger-than-expected annual revenue growth helped lift India’s Nifty IT Index and eased concerns that artificial intelligence could sharply reduce technology-services spending. The outlook suggests resilient demand for consulting, digital transformation and AI-related services. Accenture forecast boosts Indian IT stocks, lifts Nifty IT index
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture completed its acquisition of Denmark-based Mjølner Informatics, adding software-engineering expertise serving energy, utilities and manufacturing clients. The deal should strengthen its regional capabilities and industry-specific offerings, although it is unlikely to materially change near-term financial results. Accenture completes acquisition of Mjølner Informatics
• Positive Sentiment: A valuation-focused analysis highlights Accenture’s approximately $11.6 billion in annual free cash flow, strong return on equity, share repurchases and dividends. These factors may support downside protection and shareholder returns while the stock trades below its prior peak. Is Accenture Really Priced Like Its Best Days Are Over?

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.

The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.