GFG Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) by 28.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,495 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the period. GFG Capital LLC’s holdings in Accenture were worth $3,025,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flossbach Von Storch SE purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth about $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 120.0% during 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 buying an additional 1,899,305 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 84.0% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,405,683 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $477,023,000 after buying an additional 1,097,961 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted 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 buying an additional 885,687 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Davis Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Accenture in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $92,086,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have commented on ACN shares. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Accenture from $275.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group set a $278.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.26.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on ACN
Insider Transactions at Accenture
In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.98, for a total transaction of $1,710,964.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,511,200. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 12,518 shares of company stock worth $2,124,932 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting Accenture
Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture outlined a three-year plan targeting at least mid-single-digit revenue growth, with AI expected to become a net demand driver as clients move from pilot projects to broader implementation. The company highlighted AI-related work with UMass Memorial Health and expanded partnerships with Dell, Microsoft and Workday. Accenture Sees AI as Net Demand Driver
- Positive Sentiment: Accenture plans approximately $8 billion in fiscal 2027 acquisitions to expand cybersecurity capabilities, industry expertise and other growth areas. Investors may view the spending as a catalyst for revenue growth and deeper AI offerings, although successful integration will be important. Accenture’s $8B Acquisition Push
- Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets after the investor day, citing Accenture’s AI opportunity and multi-year growth framework. Susquehanna increased its target to $230, while TD Cowen raised its target to $201, though both maintained non-bullish ratings. Analysts Raise Price Targets
- Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating, reflecting investor debate over whether AI-driven growth can offset slower consulting demand and execution risks. BNP Paribas similarly said Accenture’s positive tailwinds have not yet fully overcome existing headwinds. Accenture Tailwinds and Headwinds
- Negative Sentiment: Accenture reportedly capped employees’ monthly Claude spending at $29 after some users spent as much as $1,000. The move may signal tighter control of internal AI costs and raises questions about how aggressively the company is using AI internally, despite marketing AI transformation to clients. Accenture Caps Claude Spending
Accenture Stock Performance
NYSE:ACN opened at $229.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.43. Accenture PLC has a fifty-two week low of $118.15 and a fifty-two week high of $291.09. The firm has a market cap of $153.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $189.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.54.
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.11. Accenture had a net margin of 11.28% and a return on equity of 26.53%. The company had revenue of $18.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current year.
Accenture Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 13th will be issued a $1.71 dividend. This is a boost from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 13th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Accenture’s payout ratio is 50.44%.
Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buy back $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the information technology services provider to buy up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Accenture Profile
Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) is a global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance, modernize operations and respond to technological and market changes. Its services span strategy and consulting, technology, operations, and managed services, with expertise across industries including communications, financial services, health care, public service, retail, manufacturing and resources.
The company provides digital transformation, cloud migration, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, systems integration and technology implementation services.
Further Reading
- Five stocks we like better than Accenture
- Bank of America Stock Sell-Off Looks Like a Buying Opportunity
- AST SpaceMobile Is Down 67%—Could SpaceX’s Mobile Push Deepen the Selloff?
- GlobalFoundries’ $21 Billion Deal Could Change the Economics of Chipmaking
- Fundamental and Technicals Signals Align for Costco: Is the Stock Finally Breaking Out?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Accenture Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Accenture and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
