Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $28.55 Million Position in AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AECOM (NYSE:ACM) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 267,266 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,586 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in AECOM were worth $28,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AECOM in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,201,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in AECOM by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,989,238 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $205,429,000 after buying an additional 289,513 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in AECOM by 1,847.8% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 274,857 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,384,000 after buying an additional 260,746 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 220,035 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AECOM by 293.7% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 180,602 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $18,651,000 after acquiring an additional 134,730 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ACM shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on AECOM from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on AECOM from $128.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of AECOM from $122.00 to $121.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of AECOM from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of AECOM in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price objective for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.38.

AECOM Stock Performance

ACM opened at $106.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $108.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.19. AECOM has a 12-month low of $82.23 and a 12-month high of $118.56.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The construction company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.21. AECOM had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 26.84%. On average, equities analysts forecast that AECOM will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current year.

AECOM announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Monday, November 18th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 6.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

AECOM Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. This is a positive change from AECOM’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. AECOM’s payout ratio is currently 29.55%.

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.