Ninety One SA PTY Ltd Boosts Position in AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

Ninety One SA PTY Ltd grew its stake in AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 66,336 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 5,213 shares during the quarter. AECOM accounts for approximately 1.6% of Ninety One SA PTY Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd owned approximately 0.05% of AECOM worth $7,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ACM. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in AECOM during the third quarter worth approximately $42,201,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in AECOM by 17.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,989,238 shares of the construction company's stock worth $205,429,000 after purchasing an additional 289,513 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in AECOM by 1,847.8% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 274,857 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,384,000 after purchasing an additional 260,746 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in AECOM by 40.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 768,266 shares of the construction company's stock worth $79,339,000 after purchasing an additional 220,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in AECOM by 293.7% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 180,602 shares of the construction company's stock worth $18,651,000 after purchasing an additional 134,730 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.41% of the company's stock.

AECOM Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACM traded down $1.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $107.14. The company had a trading volume of 796,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,062,723. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $108.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.35. AECOM has a fifty-two week low of $82.23 and a fifty-two week high of $118.56.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The construction company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.21. AECOM had a return on equity of 26.84% and a net margin of 2.93%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current year.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This is a positive change from AECOM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. AECOM's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.55%.

AECOM announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Monday, November 18th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded AECOM from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, October 27th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp cut their price target on AECOM from $122.00 to $121.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on AECOM from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on AECOM from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, AECOM presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $120.38.

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.