MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) by 113.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,423 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,501 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Accenture were worth $6,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Accenture by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,070,930 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $17,726,831,000 after buying an additional 854,361 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,135,065 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $6,938,156,000 after purchasing an additional 118,460 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 41.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.5% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 218,719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,693,994 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,869,199,000 after purchasing an additional 546,198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture
In other news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total value of $863,026.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.
Accenture Stock Up 0.1%
Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.61%.Accenture’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. Analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Accenture Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.40%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ACN shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $230.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on Accenture from $275.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.50.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Accenture
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.
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