Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Stock Position Lowered by Long Road Investment Counsel LLC

Long Road Investment Counsel LLC cut its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,575 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 44.3% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased 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 valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter worth $44,000. 85.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on J. Benchmark lowered Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Jacobs Solutions currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $153.63.

Jacobs Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE J opened at $122.80 on Tuesday. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.71 and a 1 year high of $156.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company’s 50-day moving average is $131.55 and its 200 day moving average is $137.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77.

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. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.92 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is 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 declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 4th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.