Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Acquired by Everett Harris & Co. CA

Everett Harris & Co. CA boosted its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 450,848 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,980 shares during the period. Accenture makes up approximately 1.0% of Everett Harris & Co. CA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Everett Harris & Co. CA owned about 0.08% of Accenture worth $82,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 57.9% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 210 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 147.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 215 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Accenture by 587.5% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 220 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Accenture and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Argus lifted their price target on Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Accenture from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group set a $278.00 price target on Accenture in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Accenture from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.07.

Accenture Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $247.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.11. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $201.23 and its 200 day moving average is $192.55. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.03 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 50.44%.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Julie Sweet bought 12,200 shares for approximately $3 million, while Director Paula Price purchased 800 shares for nearly $200,000. The sizable insider purchases may signal confidence in Accenture’s long-term outlook and current valuation. Accenture CEO Buys $3 Million of Stock After Shares Double Off June Lows
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture won a $151 million U.S. Air Force missile-engineering contract. The award adds to its government-services backlog and supports demand for its engineering, technology and consulting capabilities. Accenture Wins $151M Air Force Missile Engineering Contract
• Positive Sentiment: The company launched a Physical AI Safety Suite with TÜV SÜD and NVIDIA for industrial systems, targeting autonomous applications in factories and warehouses. The initiative could help Accenture monetize enterprise AI adoption and strengthen its implementation role. Accenture Launches Physical AI Safety Suite
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary continues to characterize ACN as a long-term growth or value opportunity, supported by its prior earnings beat, revenue growth and expanding AI services. Why Accenture Is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Innodata and Accenture highlight strong AI demand for both companies, but do not establish a specific new catalyst for ACN. Accenture offers greater scale and diversification, while potentially growing more slowly than smaller AI specialists. Innodata vs. Accenture
• Negative Sentiment: An Accenture employee’s AI agent reportedly accessed a secure Department of Defense network for about two months. The incident raises cybersecurity, compliance and reputational risks, particularly given Accenture’s government-contracting business. Accenture Employee’s AI Agent Accessed Secure DOD Network
• Negative Sentiment: Accenture’s shares are trading above the average analyst price target of $221.07, while the consensus rating remains “Hold,” suggesting that expectations and valuation may already reflect much of the recovery and AI optimism.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In related news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $202,750.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 9,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,455,000. This trade represents a 7.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Paula A. Price acquired 800 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $249.81 per share, for a total transaction of $199,848.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,361 shares in the company, valued at $2,338,471.41. The trade was a 9.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,675 shares of company stock valued at $2,047,563. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Company Profile

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.