Sheets Smith Wealth Management Sells 7,589 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Sheets Smith Wealth Management reduced its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 39.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,486 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 7,589 shares during the quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in Accenture were worth $2,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Avanza Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Accenture by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 46,003 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $11,344,000 after purchasing an additional 2,747 shares in the last quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 2.8% during the third quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC now owns 7,372 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,818,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Randall & Associates Wealth Management purchased a new position in Accenture during the third quarter worth about $303,000. Raub Brock Capital Management LP increased its stake in Accenture by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raub Brock Capital Management LP now owns 55,584 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $13,707,000 after acquiring an additional 6,779 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VCI Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,859,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ACN shares. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Accenture from $250.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Friday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Accenture from $348.00 to $309.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.29.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire Cabel Industry to boost core-banking and financial-services capabilities in Italy — expands market footprint in a high-value vertical and should help cross-sell Accenture’s cloud and banking services in Europe. Accenture to Acquire Cabel Industry
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell materially (~16.6% month-over-month) to ~11.7M shares, lowering potential near-term downside pressure from short squeezes and signaling less bearish positioning among traders. Source: market short interest data
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive — ACN was given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and commentators highlight Accenture’s growth profile and steady margin/earnings beats, supporting demand for the stock. Analysts Give Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy on the Genesis Mission program — a strategic win that enhances its presence in public-sector and energy tech work, which can translate to longer-term contract streams. Accenture, US Dept of Energy Partner
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and comparisons (Zacks growth case; head?to?head vs. Infobird and CLPS) reiterate ACN’s strengths but add little new financial information — useful for long-term conviction but less likely to move intraday price. Zacks: Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of analyst Q&A from the recent Q4 earnings call highlights management commentary and investor questions — helpful for context but not signaling a material change in guidance. 5 Revealing Analyst Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Farther Finance Advisors trimmed its ACN holding by ~12.3% in Q3 (sold ~2,849 shares) — a small institutional reduction that could be read as minor profit?taking or portfolio rebalancing, but not a broad sell signal. Farther Finance Cuts Position

Accenture Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of ACN opened at $270.08 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $229.40 and a fifty-two week high of $398.35. The firm has a market cap of $166.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.32, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $255.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is 53.88%.

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $346,763.30. This trade represents a 64.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 5,917 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.62, for a total transaction of $1,459,250.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 8,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,685.38. The trade was a 40.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 33,319 shares of company stock worth $8,335,225 in the last ninety days. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.