Inspire Advisors LLC Purchases 2,594 Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 54.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,399 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,594 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,988,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $265,649,000 after purchasing an additional 449,161 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 15,913.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 448,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,977,000 after purchasing an additional 446,057 shares during the period. Sessa Capital IM L.P. purchased a new stake in Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $46,168,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,069,000. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 34.3% during the third quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 500,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,569,000 after purchasing an additional 127,874 shares during the period. 85.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Down 0.7 %

J opened at $123.60 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $132.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.38. The company has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.95 and a 52 week high of $150.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 4.28%. Jacobs Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. Analysts forecast that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.39%.

Jacobs Solutions announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on J shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Benchmark downgraded Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.89.

About Jacobs Solutions

Jacobs Solutions Inc provides consulting, technical, engineering, scientific, and project delivery services for the government and private sectors in the United States, Europe, Canada, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Critical Mission Solutions, People & Places Solutions, Divergent Solutions, and PA Consulting segments.