StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J – Get Rating) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday. The firm issued a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Bank of America lowered Jacobs Solutions from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $137.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $150.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Jacobs Solutions from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and increased their price target for the company from $136.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Jacobs Solutions currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $148.80.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Down 3.7 %

J traded down $4.34 on Thursday, reaching $113.06. 1,151,861 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 733,015. The company’s 50 day moving average is $121.70 and its 200-day moving average is $119.86. The company has a market cap of $14.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.86. Jacobs Solutions has a twelve month low of $106.78 and a twelve month high of $150.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 1.48.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.84% and a net margin of 4.21%. Jacobs Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Jacobs Solutions will post 7.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 24th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This is a positive change from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.92%. Jacobs Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 20.76%.

Jacobs Solutions declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 25th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 6.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Steven J. Demetriou sold 6,666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.94, for a total transaction of $812,852.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 621,288 shares in the company, valued at $75,759,858.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Christopher M.T. Thompson sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.64, for a total value of $418,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 34,682 shares in the company, valued at $4,149,354.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Steven J. Demetriou sold 6,666 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.94, for a total value of $812,852.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 621,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,759,858.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,498 shares of company stock valued at $2,849,564. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

About Jacobs Solutions

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Jacobs Solutions, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the designing and deployment of technology-centric solutions. It operates through the following business segments: Critical Mission Solutions, People and Places Solutions, and PA Consulting. The Critical Mission Solutions segment offer broad sectors, including U.S.