Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in Accenture PLC by 36.4% during the third quarter, acquiring an additional 23,406 shares to bring its total holdings to 87,681 shares, valued at $21.62 million at quarter-end. This substantial accumulation contrasts with Carnegie Investment Counsel’s decision to trim its position by 41.2% in the same period, selling 42,661 shares and ending the quarter with 60,806 shares worth $15.00 million. These divergent moves underscore differing outlooks among sophisticated investors on Accenture’s near-term growth prospects.

Several other institutional investors made modest adjustments to their Accenture positions. Aprio Wealth Management lifted its holding by 2.1% in the first quarter to 1,640 shares, Texas Bank & Trust Co. added 35 shares to reach 8,181 shares, Norway Savings Bank grew by 0.9% to 4,123 shares in the second quarter, and Firethorn Wealth Partners increased its stake by 4.4% to 854 shares. Collectively, these changes reflect incremental confidence, contributing to the fact that 75.14% of Accenture stock is held by institutions and hedge funds.

Insiders have collectively sold 33,319 shares of Accenture over the last quarter, representing disposals valued at $8.34 million. Notably, former Chief Operating Officer Manish Sharma reduced his holdings by 78.8% after selling 6,902 shares, and CEO Julie Spellman Sweet decreased her position by 27.7% following a sale of 9,000 shares. These reductions bring insider ownership to just 0.02% of total shares outstanding, signaling a significant shift in executive exposure to company equity.

Research firms have maintained a generally positive view, with one Strong Buy, fifteen Buy, eleven Hold and one Sell rating, resulting in a consensus Moderate Buy recommendation. Accenture reported third-quarter revenue of $18.74 billion, up 5.7% year-over-year, and delivered earnings per share of $3.94, outperforming consensus by $0.21. The firm’s return on equity stood at 26.65% and net margin at 10.76%. For fiscal 2026, management guided to earnings between $13.52 and $13.90 per share. The board also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.63 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.4% and a payout ratio of 53.9%.