AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,970,000 shares, an increase of 11.3% from the November 15th total of 1,770,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 825,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company's shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ACM. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded AECOM from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, October 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AECOM has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $119.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at AECOM

In related news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.34, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AECOM

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AECOM by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,162 shares of the construction company's stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AECOM by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,459 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $977,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in AECOM by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,808 shares of the construction company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in AECOM by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,949 shares of the construction company's stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in AECOM by 4.7% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,102 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 85.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AECOM Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ACM traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $111.51. 782,959 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 802,768. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $110.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.87. AECOM has a 52 week low of $82.23 and a 52 week high of $118.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.03. AECOM had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 25.46%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. AECOM's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AECOM will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

AECOM Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This is an increase from AECOM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. AECOM's payout ratio is currently 35.14%.

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.