Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Trims Stake in Accenture PLC $ACN

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 60.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 327,432 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 501,084 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned 0.05% of Accenture worth $91,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Running Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 57,541 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $14,190,000 after buying an additional 7,190 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth $2,658,000. Weitz Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Accenture by 28.8% in the third quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,550 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $39,592,000 after acquiring an additional 35,900 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Accenture in the second quarter valued at $2,216,850,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in Accenture by 17.4% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 258,599 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $63,771,000 after acquiring an additional 38,325 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total value of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.93, for a total transaction of $185,413.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,688 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ACN shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Accenture from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Accenture from $280.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.00.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and record bookings — Accenture reported EPS and revenue above expectations and said bookings remain strong, driven by AI and cloud demand; that underpins longer-term growth potential. BusinessWire: Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnerships and product wins — New collaborations (notably with Microsoft on agentic security) and ongoing AI initiatives support deal pipeline and cross-sell opportunities. BusinessWire: Microsoft Collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Board announced a quarterly dividend (ex-dividend April 9) reinforcing cash return policy and yielding ~3.2%, which can support investor demand for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Selective analyst upgrades — HSBC moved to “hold” with a $220 target and a few firms maintain outperform/buy ratings even as they trim targets; sentiment among sell?side analysts is mixed. Finviz: HSBC Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price-target cuts — Several brokers trimmed targets (BMO to $230, RBC to $253, Guggenheim to $250, Robert W. Baird to $265) after the quarter, increasing near?term downside perception despite differing ratings. Benzinga: Analyst Moves TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious revenue outlook — Management’s near-term revenue guidance came in below some Street expectations and the company warned of client caution on large IT transformation spending, which is the key driver of today’s weakness. Reuters: Revenue Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downward revisions and stock reaction — Several analysts cut earnings/forecasts after the print and the stock is declining on higher-than-normal volume, reflecting profit?taking and concern about near?term execution and AI disruption risks. Benzinga: Forecast Cuts

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $200.41 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $246.63. Accenture PLC has a 12-month low of $187.00 and a 12-month high of $325.71. The firm has a market cap of $123.38 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The information technology services provider reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.40%.

Accenture 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.