Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,371 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $419,000.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Accenture by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $7,583,462,000 after acquiring an additional 129,610 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its position in Accenture by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,687,867,000 after purchasing an additional 343,420 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,656,436 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $3,922,212,000 after buying an additional 218,719 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Accenture by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,173,338 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,192,907,000 after buying an additional 1,122,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Accenture during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,146,995,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Accenture Stock Up 2.9%
Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $193.19 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $118.15 and a 52-week high of $291.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The business has a fifty day moving average of $160.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.79. The stock has a market cap of $129.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.10.
Accenture declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
Accenture Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 9th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 9th. Accenture’s payout ratio is presently 52.08%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their position. 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. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
ACN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Accenture from $200.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. Evercore set a $180.00 target price on Accenture in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $135.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Accenture from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.19.
Get Our Latest Research Report on ACN
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.
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