AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $119.38.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ACM. StockNews.com raised AECOM from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, October 27th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp boosted 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. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd.

AECOM Stock Down 0.5 %

ACM traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $111.51. 782,959 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 802,768. AECOM has a fifty-two week low of $82.23 and a fifty-two week high of $118.56. The company has a market cap 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $110.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.87.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that AECOM will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AECOM announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Monday, November 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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 paid a $0.26 dividend. This is an increase from AECOM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. AECOM's payout ratio is presently 35.14%.

Insider Activity at AECOM

In related news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of AECOM stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.34, for a total value of $4,890,416.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,228 shares in the company, valued at $3,601,837.52. This trade represents a 57.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in shares of AECOM in the third quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in AECOM by 4,242.9% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 304 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AECOM during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of AECOM by 196.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 388 shares of the construction company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AECOM in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 85.41% of the company's stock.

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.