Eastern Bank Sells 3,189 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Eastern Bank lessened its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACNFree Report) by 36.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,632 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 3,189 shares during the period. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Accenture were worth $701,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ACN. Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Accenture by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 329 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. now owns 4,416 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,089,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Peak Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Accenture by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC now owns 5,447 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $1,461,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 1.2% during the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,751 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Institute for Wealth Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 1,433 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN opened at $170.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.88 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The business’s 50-day moving average is $152.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.87. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $118.15 and a 1 year high of $291.09.

Accenture (NYSE:ACNGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a net margin of 10.66% and a return on equity of 26.47%. The business had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to reacquire up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on ACN shares. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $280.00 to $226.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $210.00 to $150.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.96.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Accenture

About Accenture

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Accenture (NYSE:ACN)

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