Stack Financial Management Inc Has $770,000 Stake in Accenture PLC $ACN

Stack Financial Management Inc reduced its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 97.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,124 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 133,747 shares during the quarter. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in Accenture were worth $770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Investors Research Corp grew its stake 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. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% in the 3rd 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. Davis Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Accenture during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Accenture by 146.0% during the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares of the business’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 sale, the general counsel owned 27,181 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,656,887.70. The trade was a 3.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was 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. This represents a 4.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 21,934 shares of company stock valued at $5,965,166 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Stock Down 1.9%

NYSE ACN opened at $270.45 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $269.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.09. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $398.35. The firm has a market cap of $166.49 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.25.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.59 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 53.88%.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and guidance support growth expectations — Accenture beat revenue and EPS estimates for the last quarter and reiterated FY?2026 EPS guidance (13.52–13.90), which underpins valuation and long?term earnings visibility. Earnings & guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Berenberg initiated coverage bullishly, citing Accenture’s AI advantage — fresh analyst support tied to GenAI momentum can attract buyers focused on secular growth in AI consulting and services. Berenberg initiation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and industry writeups highlight M&A optionality, liquidity and GenAI positioning — narrative pieces (Zacks, Yahoo) are keeping investor interest elevated and support medium?term upside. Zacks trending
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend continues to support income investors — a recently declared quarterly dividend sustains cash?return appeal. Dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $280 but kept a Hold — a small PT lift that stops short of a full upgrade and signals mixed conviction from some institutional analysts. Deutsche Bank PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus remains mixed (Moderate Buy with mid?$200s–$300s average target) — implies upside but also differing analyst views that can mute big intraday rallies. MarketBeat consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling by several senior executives (CEO, CAO, COO, General Counsel) — multiple Form 4 filings and recent sales increase perceived near?term supply and can spook momentum traders and short?term holders. Insider sales
• Negative Sentiment: Large, synchronous executive sales reduce perceived insider conviction and may amplify downward pressure while headline momentum persists. CEO Form 4

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus decreased their target price on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group lowered shares of Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.38.

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.