Mizuho Securities USA LLC Acquires 3,657 Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 45.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,776 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,657 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $1,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sciencast Management LP bought a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions in the fourth quarter worth $622,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 6,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,274,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Jacobs Solutions in the fourth quarter worth about $10,025,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank lifted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 11,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,556,000 after buying an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:J opened at $123.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.71 and a 12 month high of $156.31. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

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

Jacobs Solutions announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on J. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $153.63.

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.