AECOM (ACM) Competitors

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) and Sterling Infrastructure (NASDAQ:STRL) are both construction companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, media sentiment and risk.

Does the media favor ACM or STRL?

In the previous week, AECOM had 3 more articles in the media than Sterling Infrastructure. MarketBeat recorded 36 mentions for AECOM and 33 mentions for Sterling Infrastructure. Sterling Infrastructure's average media sentiment score of 1.08 beat AECOM's score of 1.02 indicating that Sterling Infrastructure is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
AECOM	19 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Sterling Infrastructure	14 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ACM or STRL more profitable?

Sterling Infrastructure has a net margin of 13.33% compared to AECOM's net margin of 3.82%. Sterling Infrastructure's return on equity of 27.93% beat AECOM's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AECOM	3.82%	27.87%	5.78%
Sterling Infrastructure	13.33%	27.93%	11.18%

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, ACM or STRL?

AECOM has higher revenue and earnings than Sterling Infrastructure. AECOM is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sterling Infrastructure, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AECOM	$16.11B	0.99	$402.27M	$4.59	26.19
Sterling Infrastructure	$2.12B	4.06	$257.46M	$9.20	30.67

Do analysts rate ACM or STRL?

AECOM presently has a consensus target price of $128.44, indicating a potential upside of 6.83%. Sterling Infrastructure has a consensus target price of $355.00, indicating a potential upside of 25.82%. Given Sterling Infrastructure's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Sterling Infrastructure is more favorable than AECOM.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AECOM	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Sterling Infrastructure	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of ACM or STRL?

85.4% of AECOM shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.0% of Sterling Infrastructure shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of AECOM shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of Sterling Infrastructure shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more volatility & risk, ACM or STRL?

AECOM has a beta of 0.99, meaning that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sterling Infrastructure has a beta of 1.46, meaning that its share price is 46% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Sterling Infrastructure beats AECOM on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.