Eastern Bank Sells 2,178 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

Eastern Bank lessened its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,571 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 2,178 shares during the period. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Accenture were worth $7,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Accenture by 36.2% in the 4th 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. Apella Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Accenture by 0.7% during the second quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 10,301 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $3,096,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Accenture by 39.3% in the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 8,775 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,622,000 after purchasing an additional 2,476 shares during the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC raised its stake in Accenture by 38.0% in the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 1,546 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Accenture by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $543,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN opened at $276.61 on Wednesday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.10. The firm has a market cap of $170.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,332 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $366,300.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 28,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,756,925. This trade represents a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $346,763.30. This represents a 64.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 35,151 shares of company stock valued at $8,841,525 in the last quarter. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACN has been the topic of several research reports. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Accenture in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Accenture from $355.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Friday, September 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $295.84.

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.