AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 267,526 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the previous session’s volume of 509,290 shares.The stock last traded at $106.26 and had previously closed at $107.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of AECOM from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 27th. KeyCorp increased their target price on AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup boosted their price target on AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on AECOM in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price objective for the company. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.38.

AECOM Trading Down 0.4 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $110.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.36. The firm has a market cap of $14.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.06, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.19. 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 (NYSE:ACM) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. AECOM had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 25.46%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. Analysts predict that AECOM will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current year.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from AECOM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. AECOM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.14%.

AECOM announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, November 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at AECOM

In other AECOM 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 value of $4,890,416.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 31,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AECOM

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in AECOM in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $458,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of AECOM by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,528 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of AECOM by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 768,266 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $79,339,000 after acquiring an additional 220,035 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in AECOM during the 3rd quarter worth $2,928,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 85.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.