Noesis Capital Mangement Corp Lowers Holdings in AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

Noesis Capital Mangement Corp lowered its holdings in AECOM (NYSE:ACM) by 12.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,500 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s holdings in AECOM were worth $361,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of AECOM by 12.5% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,621 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in AECOM during the 1st quarter worth about $741,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in AECOM by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 87,301 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,564,000 after purchasing an additional 6,003 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in AECOM by 24.3% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 203,281 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,917,000 after purchasing an additional 39,801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of AECOM by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 72,823 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,419,000 after buying an additional 8,694 shares during the period. 85.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AECOM

In related news, CFO Gaurav Kapoor sold 42,400 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 31,228 shares in the company, valued at $3,601,837.52. This represents a 57.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

AECOM Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACM opened at $116.74 on Thursday. AECOM has a 12 month low of $82.23 and a 12 month high of $118.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.17. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $107.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.73.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. AECOM had a return on equity of 25.46% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.01 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AECOM will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AECOM announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Monday, November 18th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.26 dividend. This is an increase from AECOM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. AECOM’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ACM. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of AECOM in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $130.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of AECOM from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised AECOM from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on AECOM from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, AECOM presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.