BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 42,420 Shares of AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Free Report) by 26.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,111 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 42,420 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.15% of AECOM worth $21,079,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in shares of AECOM in the third quarter worth $30,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AECOM during the second quarter worth about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of AECOM by 196.2% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 388 shares of the construction company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in AECOM in the third quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in AECOM by 4,375.0% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 537 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AECOM

In related news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of AECOM 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

AECOM Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:ACM traded up $0.23 on Friday, hitting $116.97. 422,323 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,026,385. 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 1 year low of $82.23 and a 1 year high of $118.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.08. The company has a market cap of $15.49 billion, a PE ratio of 39.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.17.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AECOM declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Monday, November 18th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This is a boost from AECOM's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. AECOM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on ACM. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of AECOM from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AECOM from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, October 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $119.38.

AECOM Profile

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.