Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) Cut to “Hold” at Benchmark

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

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

Jacobs Solutions Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:J opened at $137.38 on Wednesday. Jacobs Solutions has a 52 week low of $101.64 and a 52 week high of $150.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $142.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 19th. The company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.71). The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.50 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 5.16% and a return on equity of 14.82%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions will post 6 EPS for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. Jacobs Solutions’s payout ratio is 18.33%.

Insider Activity at Jacobs Solutions

In other Jacobs Solutions news, Director Christopher M.T. Thompson sold 1,898 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,346,108.65. The trade was a 4.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shelette M. Gustafson sold 4,167 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 24,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,688,038.96. This trade represents a 14.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the second quarter worth $26,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 427.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 394.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.