Accenture PLC $ACN Stock Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,261,453 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 76,658 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $230,671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Flossbach Von Storch SE acquired a new position in Accenture during the 2nd quarter valued at $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Accenture by 120.0% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,482,150 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $690,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899,305 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in Accenture by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 6,054,682 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,110,247,000 after purchasing an additional 912,506 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in Accenture by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $402,825,000 after purchasing an additional 885,687 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 319.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,001,809 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $183,702,000 after purchasing an additional 762,827 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $250.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $215.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.35. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $118.15 and a 52-week high of $291.09.

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. The company 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 business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ACN shares. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price target on Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Evercore set a $250.00 price target on Accenture and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Accenture from $175.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.07.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CAO Melissa Burgum sold 811 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $202,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 9,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,455,000. This represents a 7.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Julie Sweet purchased 12,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $245.99 per share, with a total value of $3,001,078.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 48,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,031,370.90. This trade represents a 33.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 18,675 shares of company stock valued at $4,747,563. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

About Accenture

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.