AECOM President's $298K Buy Now Underwater After Q3 Miss
AECOM posted a Q3 2026 net loss with EPS of -$0.50, a -134% miss against the $1.46 consensus, as a project charge ended three straight quarters of beats. President Lara Poloni's $298,341 purchase six
AECOM Q3 Loss Leaves Insider's $298K Buy Underwater
NEW YORK, August 12 —
AECOM (ACM) posted a quarterly net loss in Q3 2026 after a project charge drove EPS to -$0.50, against a consensus of $1.46, ending three straight quarters of beats. The catch: six weeks before the miss, President Lara Poloni spent $298,341 buying AECOM shares at $70.63; the stock now trades at $67.05.
- Q3 EPS: -$0.50 actual vs. $1.46 consensus; a project charge triggered the first net loss after three consecutive beats.
- President Poloni's June 16 purchase of 4,224 shares at $70.63, the sole insider buy in 90 days, now sits underwater.
- Consensus analyst target: $96.92 versus the $67.05 share price; forward P/E stands at 10.3x.
The Insider's Bet
AECOM is a Dallas-based infrastructure consulting firm with roughly 51,000 employees that designs and manages public and private projects across transportation networks, water systems, and environmental remediation through three segments: Americas, International, and AECOM Capital. Heading into Q3, the streak looked compelling: three consecutive beats, capped by a $1.59 actual versus $1.54 estimate per the May 11 earnings 8-K. Poloni's June 16 purchase of 4,224 shares at $70.63 was the only insider transaction in the 90-day window, with zero insider sales. Five days before she bought, AECOM filed an 8-K disclosing a new material financial obligation, a disclosure that would have been available to her.
What the Charge Did
A project charge transformed Q3 into a -134% EPS miss, per AECOM's August 10 earnings 8-K. Revenue held at $3.59 billion for the quarter, but trailing-twelve-month revenue is $15.39 billion, down 14.2% year-over-year, a decline that predates the Q3 stumble and frames how narrow the operating margins already were. AECOM runs at 5.7% gross margin on a trailing basis, so project-level charges translate into outsized bottom-line damage relative to headline revenue. With institutional investors holding 88.4% of shares and short interest at 7.0% of float, a print this far off consensus rarely resolves quietly.
| Ticker | Mkt cap | Fwd P/E | 52-wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACM | $8.6B | 10.4x | -45.0% |
| J | $17.4B | 17.9x | -3.0% |
| KBR | $4.7B | 9.2x | -24.6% |
| TTEK | $9.1B | 20.4x | -4.7% |
| FLR | $7.1B | 15.7x | +24.2% |
| GVA | $5.5B | 15.7x | +12.7% |
The Q4 Test
The central question now is whether the Q3 project charge was an isolated incident or the leading indicator of a more structural problem. At 10.3x forward P/E against a $96.92 consensus price target, the gap between what analysts price in and what the market offers is significant; investors can stress-test the earnings path with a DCF calculator. The number that changes the thesis: whether Q4 EPS returns toward AECOM's $2.59 trailing TTM figure or another charge surfaces. Poloni's paper loss and analyst conviction both resolve at the next print. Run the free AECOM deep-dive →
Basis Report is independent research for informational purposes. It is not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were AECOM's Q3 2026 earnings results?
AECOM reported Q3 2026 EPS of -$0.50, missing the $1.46 consensus estimate by 134%. A project charge drove the net loss, ending three consecutive quarters of earnings beats. The prior quarter had come in at $1.59 actual versus a $1.54 estimate.
Did AECOM insiders buy stock before the Q3 miss?
President Lara Poloni purchased 4,224 shares at $70.63 on June 16, spending $298,341 in the only insider transaction in the 90-day window, with zero insider sales. With the stock now trading at $67.05, the position is underwater.
What is the analyst price target for AECOM stock?
The consensus analyst price target for AECOM is $96.92, compared to the current share price of $67.05. The forward P/E stands at 10.3x.
What caused AECOM's Q3 2026 net loss?
A project charge was responsible for the -$0.50 EPS result, per AECOM's August 10 earnings 8-K. AECOM's 5.7% trailing gross margin means project-level charges translate into outsized bottom-line damage relative to headline revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter.
What is AECOM's trailing twelve-month revenue?
AECOM's trailing-twelve-month revenue was $15.39 billion as of Q3, down 14.2% year-over-year. Q3 quarterly revenue held at $3.59 billion despite the earnings miss.
AECOM swung to a quarterly loss in Q3 2026 after a project charge drove EPS to -$0.50 against a $1.46 consensus estimate — ending three straight quarters of beats. The miss lands six weeks after President Lara Poloni spent $298,341 buying AECOM stock at $70.63, a price now above where shares trade.
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