About Cabling Installation & Maintenance

Our mission: Bringing practical business and technical intelligence to today's structured cabling professionals

For more than 30 years, Cabling Installation & Maintenance has provided useful, practical information to professionals responsible for the specification, design, installation and management of structured cabling systems serving enterprise, data center and other environments. These professionals are challenged to stay informed of constantly evolving standards, system-design and installation approaches, product and system capabilities, technologies, as well as applications that rely on high-performance structured cabling systems. Our editors synthesize these complex issues into multiple information products. This portfolio of information products provides concrete detail that improves the efficiency of day-to-day operations, and equips cabling professionals with the perspective that enables strategic planning for networks’ optimum long-term performance.

Throughout our annual magazine, weekly email newsletters and 24/7/365 website, Cabling Installation & Maintenance digs into the essential topics our audience focuses on.

  • Design, Installation and Testing: We explain the bottom-up design of cabling systems, from case histories of actual projects to solutions for specific problems or aspects of the design process. We also look at specific installations using a case-history approach to highlight challenging problems, solutions and unique features. Additionally, we examine evolving test-and-measurement technologies and techniques designed to address the standards-governed and practical-use performance requirements of cabling systems.
  • Technology: We evaluate product innovations and technology trends as they impact a particular product class through interviews with manufacturers, installers and users, as well as contributed articles from subject-matter experts.
  • Data Center: Cabling Installation & Maintenance takes an in-depth look at design and installation workmanship issues as well as the unique technology being deployed specifically for data centers.
  • Physical Security: Focusing on the areas in which security and IT—and the infrastructure for both—interlock and overlap, we pay specific attention to Internet Protocol’s influence over the development of security applications.
  • Standards: Tracking the activities of North American and international standards-making organizations, we provide updates on specifications that are in-progress, looking forward to how they will affect cabling-system design and installation. We also produce articles explaining the practical aspects of designing and installing cabling systems in accordance with the specifications of established standards.

Cabling Installation & Maintenance is published by Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

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3 Reasons to Avoid ACM and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

ACM Cover Image

Since September 2024, AECOM has been in a holding pattern, posting a small return of 0.8% while floating around $96.60.

Is now the time to buy AECOM, or should you be careful about including it in your portfolio? Get the full breakdown from our expert analysts, it’s free.

We're cautious about AECOM. Here are three reasons why ACM doesn't excite us and a stock we'd rather own.

Why Is AECOM Not Exciting?

Founded in 1990 when a group of engineers from five companies decided to merge, AECOM (NYSE: ACM) provides various infrastructure consulting services.

1. Backlog Is Unchanged, Sales Pipeline Stalls

We can better understand Engineering and Design Services companies by analyzing their backlog. This metric shows the value of outstanding orders that have not yet been executed or delivered, giving visibility into AECOM’s future revenue streams.

Over the last two years, AECOM failed to grow its backlog, which came in at $23.88 billion in the latest quarter. This performance was underwhelming and shows the company faced challenges in winning new orders. It also suggests there may be increasing competition or market saturation.

2. Low Gross Margin Reveals Weak Structural Profitability

Cost of sales for an industrials business is usually comprised of the direct labor, raw materials, and supplies needed to offer a product or service. These costs can be impacted by inflation and supply chain dynamics.

AECOM has bad unit economics for an industrials business, signaling it operates in a competitive market. As you can see below, it averaged a 6.3% gross margin over the last five years. That means AECOM paid its suppliers a lot of money ($93.68 for every $100 in revenue) to run its business.

3. Weak Operating Margin Could Cause Trouble

Operating margin is one of the best measures of profitability because it tells us how much money a company takes home after procuring and manufacturing its products, marketing and selling those products, and most importantly, keeping them relevant through research and development.

AECOM was profitable over the last five years but held back by its large cost base. Its average operating margin of 4.2% was weak for an industrials business. This result isn’t too surprising given its low gross margin as a starting point.

AECOM Trailing 12-Month Operating Margin (GAAP)

Final Judgment

AECOM’s business quality ultimately falls short of our standards. That said, the stock currently trades at 18.6× forward price-to-earnings (or $96.60 per share). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but our analysis shows the upside isn’t great compared to the potential downside. We're pretty confident there are superior stocks to buy right now. Let us point you toward the most dominant software business in the world.

Stocks We Would Buy Instead of AECOM

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