Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Short Interest Up 24.5% in March

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,351,038 shares, a growth of 24.5% from the March 15th total of 3,495,077 shares. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,109,620 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on J. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $130.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Jacobs Solutions from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Jacobs Solutions from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $130.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Shannon Miller sold 1,440 shares of Jacobs Solutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.13, for a total value of $193,147.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 25,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,399,390.72. The trade was a 5.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter worth $27,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. raised its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 121.0% during the 3rd quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 65.4% in the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 85.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Up 2.0%

Jacobs Solutions stock traded up $2.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.80. The stock had a trading volume of 733,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 845,493. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $15.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.77. Jacobs Solutions has a 52-week low of $114.27 and a 52-week high of $168.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $132.22 and a 200 day moving average of $139.97.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.01. Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 20.59%. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. Jacobs Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.950-7.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This is an increase from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.45%.

About Jacobs Solutions

Jacobs Solutions Inc, commonly known as Jacobs, is a global professional services firm that provides technical, engineering, scientific and project delivery expertise across a broad range of industries. Founded in 1947 by Joseph J. Jacobs in Pasadena, California, the company evolved from a regional engineering consultancy into a diversified provider of design, program and construction management, operations and maintenance, and scientific services for complex infrastructure and industrial programs.