Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) Lowered to Hold Rating by Benchmark

Benchmark cut shares of Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on J. Citigroup upped their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $138.60 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Raymond James raised Jacobs Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.50.

Jacobs Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE J opened at $137.38 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $142.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.71. Jacobs Solutions has a one year low of $101.64 and a one year high of $150.54.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.71). Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.82% and a net margin of 5.16%. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Jacobs Solutions will post 6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shelette M. Gustafson sold 4,167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.14, for a total transaction of $625,633.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,688,038.96. This represents a 14.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher M.T. Thompson sold 1,898 shares of Jacobs Solutions stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.85, for a total value of $286,313.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 42,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,346,108.65. This trade represents a 4.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 37.0% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Jacobs Solutions by 448.6% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 7,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 6,379 shares in the last quarter. Natixis raised its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 55.0% in the first quarter. Natixis now owns 3,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 124.0% during the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 18,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,914,000 after buying an additional 10,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Jacobs Solutions during the first quarter worth approximately $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Company Profile

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.