AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AECOM (NYSE:ACM) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $119.38.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com raised AECOM from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 27th. Truist Financial upped their target price on AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on AECOM in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company.

Insider Transactions at AECOM

In other news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of AECOM stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.34, for a total transaction of $4,890,416.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 31,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,601,837.52. The trade was a 57.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in AECOM by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,338 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $294,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in AECOM by 13.6% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 72,823 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,419,000 after buying an additional 8,694 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of AECOM by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AECOM by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 69,432 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,120,000 after buying an additional 10,508 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AECOM in the 2nd quarter valued at $46,109,000. 85.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AECOM Price Performance

AECOM stock opened at $111.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $110.09 and its 200-day moving average is $98.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. AECOM has a 12 month low of $82.23 and a 12 month high of $118.56.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.03. AECOM had a return on equity of 25.46% and a net margin of 2.50%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current year.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. This is a positive change from AECOM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. AECOM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.14%.

AECOM announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, November 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

About AECOM

AECOM, together with its subsidiaries, provides professional infrastructure consulting services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Americas, International, and AECOM Capital. The company offers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, construction and program management, and investment and development services to public and private clients.