Accenture (NYSE:ACN) CEO John Walsh Sells 3,986 Shares of Stock

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) CEO John Walsh sold 3,986 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total transaction of $1,101,650.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Accenture Price Performance

ACN stock opened at $275.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $169.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $269.29 and its 200 day moving average is $258.00. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $398.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accenture

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Optas LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 55.9% in the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,629 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $705,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Ticino Wealth bought a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $2,053,000. Novem Group grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Novem Group now owns 1,793 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 31,713 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $8,509,000 after acquiring an additional 3,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Accenture in the 4th quarter worth about $712,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACN has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Accenture from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup upgraded Accenture to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, HSBC boosted their target price on Accenture from $215.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Accenture presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.38.

Accenture News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture reported a quarterly earnings beat and reiterated FY‑2026 guidance (EPS 13.52–13.90). The results and guidance support the company’s growth outlook and help underpin valuation. Earnings & guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a quarterly dividend ($1.63/quarter; $6.52 annualized; ~2.3% yield), sustaining shareholder returns and income appeal. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentaries highlight Accenture’s momentum, M&A activity and liquidity—Zacks pieces argue buyouts, talent investment and GenAI positioning bolster long‑term prospects. Zacks: Buyouts & liquidity
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $280 but kept a “hold” rating — a modest upward tweak that stops short of a buy signal. MarketScreener: Deutsche Bank PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Market consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target ~ $298 — indicates mixed analyst views and some upside but also variation in expectations. MarketBeat consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Cluster of insider stock sales by top executives: CEO John Walsh sold ~3,986 shares, CAO Melissa Burgum sold ~3,588 shares, COO Catherine Kiernan Hogan sold 660 shares, and General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 1,026 shares. Large, simultaneous insider sales can trigger investor concern about near‑term confidence and contributed to downward pressure. CEO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales reduce perceived insider ownership and may increase supply in the market; multiple filings in the past week amplify the signal to short‑term traders. CAO Form 4

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.