Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Purchased by Isthmus Partners LLC

Isthmus Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 49,623 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,429 shares during the quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $9,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Accenture by 18.3% in the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 323 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. GS Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Accenture by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. GS Investments Inc. now owns 12,415 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,462,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camelot Portfolios LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Camelot Portfolios LLC now owns 4,526 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

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.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $1,430,844.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,194 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,338.96. This represents a 83.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,556 shares in the company, valued at $2,511,200. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 19,173 shares of company stock worth $3,758,527 in the last 90 days. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Stock Performance

Accenture stock opened at $259.11 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a twelve month low of $118.15 and a twelve month high of $291.09. 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 company has a market capitalization of $173.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $194.57 and its 200 day moving average is $175.64.

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

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 13th. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is 50.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ACN. UBS Group set a $278.00 target price on Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $165.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.52.

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.