Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Raises Holdings in AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. grew its position in AECOM (NYSE:ACM - Free Report) by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,741 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 10,415 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. owned 0.05% of AECOM worth $7,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in AECOM during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in AECOM during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in AECOM by 4,375.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 537 shares of the construction company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. bought a new stake in AECOM during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. 85.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AECOM Stock Performance

ACM traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $117.01. 422,321 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 807,109. The company's 50-day moving average is $107.91 and its 200 day moving average is $97.04. AECOM has a 52 week low of $82.23 and a 52 week high of $118.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.50 billion, a PE ratio of 39.53, 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 data on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current year.

AECOM announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program 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 programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. 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 0.89%. AECOM's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 57.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of AECOM in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $130.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of AECOM from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.38.

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.