First Merchants Corp Sells 2,364 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

First Merchants Corp trimmed its position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,910 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 2,364 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Accenture were worth $10,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 36.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 18,438 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $6,486,000 after acquiring an additional 4,905 shares during the last quarter. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the 1st quarter worth $1,387,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Accenture by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 19,529 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $6,094,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new position in Accenture in the first quarter worth approximately $326,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Accenture by 56.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 47,429 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $14,800,000 after purchasing an additional 17,080 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on ACN. Dbs Bank raised shares of Accenture from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup raised Accenture to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. HSBC raised their price target on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Accenture from $235.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $295.84.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In related news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $366,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 28,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,756,925. This trade represents a 4.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Manish Sharma sold 6,902 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.01, for a total value of $1,725,569.02. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $465,018.60. This trade represents a 78.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,651 shares of company stock worth $8,701,525. Insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire Faculty, a UK-based AI-native services and products firm — a deal that accelerates Accenture’s AI capabilities and go-to-market for client AI transformations. Accenture to Acquire Faculty to Scale AI Capabilities
• Positive Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a buy rating, providing fresh analyst support that can boost investor confidence and demand. Accenture initiated with a buy at Truist
• Positive Sentiment: Partnership with NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL to launch a Universal Wallet Infrastructure highlights Accenture’s push into large-scale digital identity/data-led projects — a potential revenue and strategic growth driver. NTT DOCOMO GLOBAL and Accenture Launch Universal Wallet Infrastructure
• Neutral Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn nudged its price target slightly higher to $210 but maintained a neutral rating — the PT remains well below current levels, limiting upside from this particular update. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts PT
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage questioning softer public‑sector demand raises concerns about near-term consulting revenue resilience in that end market. Is Softer Public-Sector Demand Undermining the Resilience of Accenture’s Consulting Engine?
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale: General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares (~$275 avg), trimming his stake ~4.5% — a modest negative signal though not unusually large given his remaining holdings. SEC Filing – Insider Sale

Accenture Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $275.31 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $258.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. Accenture PLC has a 1-year low of $229.40 and a 1-year high of $398.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.63 per share. 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%.

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.