HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Lowers Position in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC reduced its stake in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,299 shares of the company’s stock after selling 97 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 394.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Jacobs Solutions by 215.7% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Down 4.9 %

Shares of NYSE:J opened at $118.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $14.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s 50 day moving average is $127.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.44. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.19 and a 52 week high of $156.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for 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%. Jacobs Solutions’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost 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 yield of 1.08%. Jacobs Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on J. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup dropped 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 note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Jacobs Solutions currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $153.86.

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.