Alliancebernstein L.P. Decreases Stake in Accenture PLC $ACN

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its stake in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) by 21.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,605,889 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after selling 447,191 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.24% of Accenture worth $396,012,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Accenture by 2.1% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,129,782 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $19,466,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315,548 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,016,605 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $8,373,925,000 after purchasing an additional 326,979 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Accenture by 41.1% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,128,134 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock valued at $4,223,839,000 after buying an additional 4,984,930 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Accenture by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,147,796 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,502,446,000 after buying an additional 1,148,970 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in Accenture by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 9,615,366 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $2,371,149,000 after buying an additional 790,580 shares during the last quarter. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Accenture News

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Udacity (part of Accenture) launched an accredited MBA program aimed at training AI product leaders — a revenue/brand-positive move that strengthens Accenture’s talent pipeline and positioning in AI services. Udacity, Part of Accenture, Launches Accredited MBA to Train the Next Generation of AI Product Leaders
• Positive Sentiment: Investor research argues Accenture is well-placed to benefit from AI implementation contracts, highlighting upside from rising enterprise AI spend — a bullish narrative for medium-term revenue growth. Accenture (ACN) is Poised to Benefit from AI Implementation Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: Accenture expanded its Google Cloud partnership to help clients strengthen cloud security — a direct revenue-opportunity in managed security and cloud transformation services. Accenture Helps Organizations Strengthen Cloud Security with Google Cloud
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues Accenture may be undervalued after prior overvaluation, presenting a valuation-based bullish case for long-term investors. Accenture: Undervalued After Years Of Overvaluation
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks previews Accenture’s upcoming earnings and suggests the company may not have the setup for an earnings beat, signaling investor caution into the report. Accenture (ACN) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reminder: Accenture is projected to post quarterly earnings this week, a scheduled catalyst that could swing the stock depending on guidance and margins. Accenture (ACN) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: Truist cut its price target on ACN to $260 (from $317) and warned of pressure on long-term estimates after its enterprise-AI checks — the downgrade dampens sentiment despite a maintained Buy rating. Truist Financial Cuts Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $260.00 Truist Lowers Accenture (ACN) Target to $260, Warns of Pressure on Long-Term Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Guggenheim lowered its price target on Accenture to $275, adding to analyst-driven downward pressure on the stock in the run-up to earnings. Guggenheim Lowers Accenture (NYSE:ACN) Price Target to $275.00

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ACN. Berenberg Bank began coverage on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $313.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Accenture in a report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Accenture from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.35.

Accenture Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ACN opened at $196.41 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $241.97 and a 200 day moving average of $248.67. The firm has a market cap of $120.91 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.28. Accenture PLC has a one year low of $188.73 and a one year high of $326.73.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 26.65%. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.59 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 6,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 15,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,679,963.65. The trade was a 28.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 3,588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.01, for a total value of $1,008,263.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,380.79. This trade represents a 30.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 22,088 shares of company stock worth $5,970,434 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

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.