Avity Investment Management Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Accenture PLC $ACN

Avity Investment Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,290 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 21,805 shares during the quarter. Accenture makes up approximately 1.5% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $20,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Accenture in the second quarter worth approximately $2,216,850,000. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Accenture by 41.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $4,223,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,984,930 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Accenture by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $19,466,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315,548 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Accenture during the third quarter valued at $311,694,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Accenture by 12.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $2,502,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,970 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Accenture from $266.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Accenture from $317.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accenture has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.19.

Accenture Stock Down 0.3%

ACN opened at $198.73 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $122.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $188.73 and a 52 week high of $326.73.

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

Accenture Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.88%.

Trending Headlines about Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture and Databricks announced a partnership to accelerate enterprise adoption of AI applications and agents at scale — a strategic tie-up that can drive higher‑margin AI services and platform initiatives. Accenture and Databricks Accelerate Enterprise Adoption of AI Applications and Agents at Scale
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture completed the acquisition of UK AI firm Faculty and named its CEO Dr. Marc Warner as Accenture CTO — a capability‑building move that strengthens the company’s AI bench and go‑to‑market for advanced AI services. Accenture Completes Acquisition of Faculty
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture inked a six‑year partnership as Official Business & Technology Consulting Partner of The R&A (golf), which supports brand, commercial and industry visibility — a modest but positive commercial win. Accenture Named Official Partner of Leading Golf Governing Body, The R&A
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street previews and earnings previews point to continued revenue and EPS growth in fiscal Q2 (y/y revenue seen rising ~6–7%), making the upcoming results a key near‑term catalyst. Accenture Set to Report Q2 Earnings: Here’s What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst models and metric previews (Zacks/Yahoo) provide detail on bookings, margins and headcount trends investors will focus on in Q2 — these data points will drive sentiment more than headlines. Insights Into Accenture (ACN) Q2: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley flagged that Accenture might raise the low end of its 2026 revenue outlook despite mixed demand — a signal that management could tweak guidance, which would influence near‑term expectations. Accenture May Raise Low End of 2026 Revenue Outlook Despite Weak Demand, Morgan Stanley Says
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target on ACN from $320 to $240 while keeping an Overweight rating, citing weaker bookings and a talent shift — the PT cut reduces upside expectations and likely pressured the stock. Morgan Stanley Updates Accenture (ACN) View on Weak Bookings and Talent Shift
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary and a Zacks piece note that while ACN looks cheaper on valuation and is doubling down on GenAI, weak recent price performance and rising talent costs create investor uncertainty about near‑term returns. Is Accenture’s Cheap Valuation Reason Enough to Invest in the Stock?

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at $3,679,963.65. This trade represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,523,339.98. This trade represents a 12.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock valued at $5,970,434 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.