Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Newly Acquired by Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC

Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN – Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,962 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,540,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ACN. Flossbach Von Storch SE bought a new position in Accenture in the second quarter valued at approximately $309,873,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 120.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 84.0% in the first 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. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. acquired a new position in Accenture during the fourth quarter worth $253,120,000. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its position in Accenture by 67.6% during the third quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 2,196,789 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $402,825,000 after acquiring an additional 885,687 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Performance

ACN traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $208.39. The company had a trading volume of 4,876,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,004,745. The stock has a market cap of $139.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $183.68 and its 200 day moving average is $173.44.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 1st. The information technology services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $18.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Accenture has set its FY 2027 guidance at 14.390-14.810 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 14.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. 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 3.3%. This is a positive change from Accenture’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 50.44%.

Accenture announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $245.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Accenture from $136.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Accenture from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Dbs Bank downgraded Accenture from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on Accenture from $273.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $219.15.

Get Our Latest Report on Accenture

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Accenture’s fiscal fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $3.29 versus the $3.18 consensus and revenue of $18.68 billion versus estimates of $18.03 billion. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, helping drive the recent rally. Accenture Could Be 30% Undervalued
  • Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators increasingly view Accenture as an undervalued artificial-intelligence and enterprise-services beneficiary. The company’s AI-related work and enterprise momentum could convert elevated AI spending into longer-term revenue growth. Is Accenture the Market’s Most Overlooked AI Play?
  • Positive Sentiment: Accenture increased its dividend by 4.91%, signaling continued confidence in cash generation. One dividend-focused analysis rated ACN highly and estimated substantial upside to fair value, although the increase was below the company’s five-year dividend-growth rate. Dividend Announcements
  • Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Accenture as a strong momentum stock, reflecting improving price performance and investor interest following the earnings beat. Why Accenture Is a Strong Momentum Stock
  • Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor whether AI-driven efficiency and pricing pressure could reduce fees for consulting work. Management acknowledged lower pricing in several areas during the quarter, creating a potential risk to margins and future growth. What Would It Take for AI Price Cuts to Break Accenture Stock?
  • Neutral Sentiment: COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares for approximately $264,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced her holdings by 9.51%, but its scheduled nature limits its significance as a bearish signal.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 10,498 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the general counsel directly owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,450.30. This trade represents a 37.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Catherine Hogan sold 1,320 shares of Accenture 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 12,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,511,200. This trade represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Accenture Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Accenture (NYSE:ACN)

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