ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 11,501 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. cut its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,794 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 11,501 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $28,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Investors Research Corp boosted its position in Accenture by 73.8% during the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Accenture during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Accenture by 96.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 108 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.70, for a total transaction of $289,024.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares in the company, valued at $7,656,887.70. This trade represents a 3.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total value of $185,413.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,564,439.84. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,331 shares of company stock valued at $4,048,871. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on ACN. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Accenture from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Accenture from $243.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.50.

Accenture Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of ACN stock opened at $190.37 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $126.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.24. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $177.50 and a one year high of $325.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $206.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. Analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.40%.

Accenture Company Profile

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.