MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Cuts Stock Position in Accenture PLC $ACN

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB trimmed its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 26.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 39,428 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 14,124 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in Accenture were worth $10,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ACN. Running Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 14.3% during the third quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 57,541 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $14,190,000 after acquiring an additional 7,190 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,658,000. Weitz Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Accenture by 28.8% during the 3rd quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,550 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $39,592,000 after purchasing an additional 35,900 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Accenture during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,216,850,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 258,599 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $63,771,000 after buying an additional 38,325 shares during the period. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Accenture from $300.00 to $230.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Argus reduced their price objective on shares of Accenture from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Tuesday. Eighteen investment 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, Accenture has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $276.00.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,523,339.98. The trade was a 12.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:ACN opened at $200.41 on Friday. Accenture PLC has a 52-week low of $187.00 and a 52-week high of $325.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.75. The company has a market capitalization of $123.38 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.27.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.61% and a return on equity of 26.33%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

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 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.