Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Short Interest Up 33.3% in January

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,080,000 shares, a growth of 33.3% from the December 31st total of 1,560,000 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 748,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on J. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Benchmark cut Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.00.

Jacobs Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:J traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $139.99. 936,521 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 568,654. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.48. Jacobs Solutions has a 12 month low of $110.95 and a 12 month high of $150.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.72.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.71). Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 5.16% and a return on equity of 14.82%. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in J. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 44.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 394.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Jacobs Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Jacobs Solutions in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 215.7% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.