AECOM (NYSE:ACM) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,970,000 shares, an increase of 11.3% from the November 15th total of 1,770,000 shares. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 825,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

AECOM Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of AECOM stock 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. AECOM has a 1-year low of $82.23 and a 1-year high of $118.56. The business has a 50-day moving average of $110.09 and a 200-day moving average of $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 (NYSE:ACM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.03. AECOM had a return on equity of 25.46% and a net margin of 2.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. AECOM’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. This is an increase from AECOM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. AECOM’s dividend payout ratio is 35.14%.

AECOM announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, November 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AECOM

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in shares of AECOM during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of AECOM by 4,242.9% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 304 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of AECOM in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AECOM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.41% of the company’s stock.

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.