First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 943,371 Shares of Accenture PLC $ACN

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 85.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,041,945 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 943,371 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.31% of Accenture worth $503,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 73.8% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in Accenture in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Accenture by 146.0% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 75.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Accenture from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $300.00 price objective on Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Accenture from $251.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Accenture from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $291.69.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Accenture agreed to acquire Ookla (maker of Speedtest, Downdetector, RootMetrics) to bolster network intelligence and connectivity analytics — expands data assets for telco and enterprise network services. Accenture (ACN) To Accquire OoKla, the Company Behind Popular Speedtest Tool
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture bought advanced AI technology from Avanseus to improve predictive models, anomaly detection and automation for network operations — a capability play that supports higher-margin managed services. Accenture (ACN) Acquires Advanced AI Technology Solution From Avanseus
• Positive Sentiment: New collaboration with Mistral AI aims to accelerate enterprise-grade AI deployments — reinforces Accenture’s positioning as a systems integrator for generative/enterprise AI. Accenture Bets On Ookla And Mistral AI To Reinforce Client Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly said Accenture “shouldn’t be that low,” providing a sentiment boost and drawing retail attention to recent strategic buys. Jim Cramer on Accenture: “It shouldn’t be that low”
• Positive Sentiment: UBS called the Ookla deal a timely bet on AI-driven network intelligence, signaling positive institutional take on strategic fit. UBS sees Accenture’s Ookla deal as timely bet on AI-driven network intelligence
• Neutral Sentiment: Several outlets include ACN among top IT services or growth picks for 2026 (Zacks, Yahoo lists) — positive framing but less immediate impact than deal/earnings news. Buy 5 Computers IT Services Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank cut its price target to $230 from $280 and kept a “hold” rating, signaling lower near-term upside from that broker — pressure on sentiment despite strategic moves. Deutsche Bank Cuts Price Target On Accenture To $230 From $280, Keeps “Hold” Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Jensen Quality Growth Equity disclosed it sold Accenture in Q4 — a notable institutional reduction that may signal rotation away from ACN among some active managers. Jensen Quality Growth Equity Decided to Sell Accenture (ACN)
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha note argues Accenture’s AI narrative hasn’t yet translated into stronger growth expectations (FY26 guide implies modest revenue growth), keeping investor caution. Accenture: AI Story Isn’t Enough To Excite Investors Just Yet

Accenture Stock Up 1.5%

ACN opened at $217.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.27. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $188.73 and a one year high of $342.89. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $248.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $250.70. 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 (NYSE:ACN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.59 EPS. The company’s 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. Equities research analysts expect that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 13th. Accenture’s payout ratio is currently 53.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John F. Walsh sold 3,986 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $276.38, for a total value of $1,101,650.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,523,339.98. This represents a 12.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.23, for a total transaction of $1,461,130.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,679,963.65. This represents a 28.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434. 0.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.