Short Interest in AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Grows By 11.3%

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,970,000 shares, a growth of 11.3% from the November 15th total of 1,770,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 825,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

AECOM Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:ACM opened at $110.73 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $110.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.87. The company has a market capitalization of $14.67 billion, a PE ratio of 37.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.17. AECOM has a 1-year low of $82.23 and a 1-year high of $118.56.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This is a boost from AECOM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. AECOM’s payout ratio is presently 35.14%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ACM shares. StockNews.com raised shares of AECOM from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Truist Financial upped their target price on AECOM from $119.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AECOM from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Nine 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 price target of $119.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AECOM news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were 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 $3,601,837.52. This trade represents a 57.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AECOM

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in AECOM by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,338 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of AECOM by 13.6% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 72,823 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,694 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in AECOM by 4.7% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,102 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in AECOM by 17.8% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 69,432 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,120,000 after purchasing an additional 10,508 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in AECOM in the second quarter worth approximately $46,109,000. Institutional investors own 85.41% of the company’s stock.

AECOM Company 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.