Stephens Inc. AR Sells 601 Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its holdings in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,325 shares of the company’s stock after selling 601 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $5,388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 44.3% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 394.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Jacobs Solutions in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 55.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. 85.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jacobs Solutions Price Performance

Shares of J stock opened at $134.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 12-month low of $110.95 and a 12-month high of $150.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $136.17 and a 200-day moving average of $140.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.72.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.92 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 4.28%. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is an increase from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on J shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Benchmark downgraded shares of Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.89.

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.