AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Coverage Initiated at The Goldman Sachs Group

Equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of AECOM (NYSE:ACM) in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price target on the construction company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 11.77% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on AECOM from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AECOM from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of AECOM from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, AECOM has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $119.38.

AECOM Trading Up 3.3 %

ACM opened at $116.31 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $106.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.20. AECOM has a 1-year low of $82.23 and a 1-year high of $116.76. The company has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.17. 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. AECOM had a return on equity of 25.46% and a net margin of 2.50%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.01 EPS. Analysts predict that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.34, for a total transaction of $4,890,416.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 31,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,601,837.52. This represents a 57.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AECOM

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in AECOM during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of AECOM during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AECOM during the second quarter worth about $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in AECOM by 4,242.9% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 304 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in AECOM by 196.2% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 388 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 257 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.