Wade G W & Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN)

Wade G W & Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN – Get Rating) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,881 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the quarter. Wade G W & Inc.’s holdings in Accenture were worth $15,178,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ACN. Affiance Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. My Personal CFO LLC purchased a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Accenture by 61.8% in the third quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 123 shares of the information technology services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EWG Elevate Inc. purchased a new stake in Accenture in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 73.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Accenture Stock Performance

ACN traded up $12.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $304.74. The stock had a trading volume of 2,040,049 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,378,858. Accenture plc has a 1 year low of $242.80 and a 1 year high of $322.88. The business has a fifty day moving average of $276.81 and a 200 day moving average of $277.13. The company has a market cap of $192.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.25.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 23rd. The information technology services provider reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.59 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.00% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Accenture plc will post 11.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 13th were paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 12th. Accenture’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Accenture in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Accenture from $311.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Accenture from $340.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 15th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies lifted their price target on Accenture from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $314.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 2,954 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.05, for a total value of $827,267.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,459 shares in the company, valued at $6,849,742.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Accenture news, General Counsel Joel Unruch sold 556 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.82, for a total value of $153,911.92. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 42,739 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,831,009.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 2,954 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.05, for a total value of $827,267.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,459 shares in the company, valued at $6,849,742.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,010 shares of company stock valued at $4,180,030 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Accenture Profile

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Accenture Plc engages in the provision of management consulting, technology, and outsourcing services. It operates through the following geographical segments: North America, Europe and Growth Markets. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.