Ninety One UK Ltd Sells 125,503 Shares of AECOM (NYSE:ACM)

Ninety One UK Ltd trimmed its position in AECOM (NYSE:ACM) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,479,519 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 125,503 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in AECOM were worth $158,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in AECOM by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,162 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AECOM by 1.1% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,459 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $977,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of AECOM by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,830 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $809,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AECOM by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 4,137 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 85.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AECOM Price Performance

Shares of ACM opened at $104.22 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.34 and its 200-day moving average is $104.20. 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 has a market capitalization of $13.82 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.19. AECOM has a fifty-two week low of $82.23 and a fifty-two week high of $118.56.

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The construction company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.21. AECOM had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 25.46%. Equities analysts forecast that AECOM will post 5.08 EPS for the current year.

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

AECOM Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 29.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ACM. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on AECOM from $125.00 to $117.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded AECOM from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on AECOM in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp decreased 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of AECOM from $128.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.50.

AECOM 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.