Thematics Asset Management Sells 7,000 Shares of AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

Thematics Asset Management lowered its position in AECOM (NYSE:ACM) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,472 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 7,000 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management’s holdings in AECOM were worth $12,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AECOM by 1.1% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,459 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $977,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in AECOM by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,808 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of AECOM by 3.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,949 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $408,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of AECOM by 4.7% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,102 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of AECOM by 1.1% during the second quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 13,981 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,232,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.41% of the company’s stock.

AECOM Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of ACM traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $116.32. The company had a trading volume of 90,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 803,958. AECOM has a 1-year low of $82.23 and a 1-year high of $118.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.42. The stock has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a PE ratio of 39.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.17.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 18th. The construction company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.01 earnings per share. AECOM’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that AECOM will post 5.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AECOM Increases Dividend

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

AECOM declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, November 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 6.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on AECOM from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 raised their target price on shares of AECOM from $113.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. KeyCorp upped their target price on AECOM from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on AECOM in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.38.

Insider Activity at AECOM

In other 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 transaction of $4,890,416.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.