Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Raises Stake in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,152 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $4,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Jacobs Solutions by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 113.8% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 215.7% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Performance

J opened at $126.64 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $120.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $131.32. The company has a market cap of $15.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $106.23 and a 52-week high of $156.31.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 4th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Jacobs Solutions Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on J shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $150.86.

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.