Accenture PLC $ACN Shares Acquired by Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 27.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,673 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,423 shares during the period. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s holdings in Accenture were worth $4,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.3% in 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,264,675 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $7,583,462,000 after buying an additional 129,610 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Accenture by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,471,554 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,687,867,000 after acquiring an additional 343,420 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 worth $3,922,212,000 after acquiring an additional 218,719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Accenture by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,693,994 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,869,199,000 after acquiring an additional 546,198 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Stock Up 6.0%

Shares of ACN opened at $147.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $98.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.13. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $118.15 and a 52 week high of $291.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $153.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.10. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.47% and a net margin of 10.66%.The company had revenue of $18.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.78 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. Accenture’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.780-13.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 13.85 EPS for the current year.

Accenture announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 23rd that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the information technology services provider to purchase up to 2.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 9th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 9th. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 52.08%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Atsushi Egawa sold 4,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.14, for a total transaction of $863,026.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 12,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,267,746.28. This trade represents a 27.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on ACN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Friday, July 10th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Accenture from $186.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. TD Cowen lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $258.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, June 19th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.96.

About Accenture

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.