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

Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $155.89.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on J. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citigroup cut their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Benchmark lowered Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 345.9% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 4,637,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $619,676,000 after acquiring an additional 3,597,564 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,155,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $420,626,000 after buying an additional 10,174 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 933.6% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,109,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,808,000 after buying an additional 1,904,988 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,988,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,649,000 after buying an additional 449,161 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,809,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,746,000 after buying an additional 157,086 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE J opened at $122.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77. 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 has a 52-week low of $110.95 and a 52-week high of $150.54. The business’s 50 day moving average is $132.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.19.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.05 EPS for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.39%.

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.