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

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $153.63.

Several analysts have issued reports on J shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com started coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE:J opened at $121.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.96, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $129.02 and a 200 day moving average of $135.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. Jacobs Solutions has a 1-year low of $118.67 and a 1-year high of $156.31.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last announced 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 net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The firm 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 business posted $1.45 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Jacobs Solutions announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 4th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in J. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 345.9% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 4,637,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $619,676,000 after purchasing an additional 3,597,564 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 0.3% in 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 position in Jacobs Solutions by 933.6% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,109,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,808,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904,988 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,988,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,649,000 after acquiring an additional 449,161 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,809,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,746,000 after acquiring an additional 157,086 shares in the last quarter. 85.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.