Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $153.86.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on J shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Down 5.9 %

J stock opened at $111.47 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $127.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.14. The company has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.73. Jacobs Solutions has a 12-month low of $110.90 and a 12-month high of $156.31. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.04. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 4.28%. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 4th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. This is a boost from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.39%.

Institutional Trading of Jacobs Solutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 81,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,642,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in Jacobs Solutions by 53.0% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 6,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,000 after acquiring an additional 2,366 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 79,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,388,000 after purchasing an additional 3,011 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 58.5% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 6,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $820,000 after buying an additional 2,312 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 412.3% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 24,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,155,000 after acquiring an additional 19,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

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.