Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,510,000 shares, an increase of 8.6% from the October 31st total of 1,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 788,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 1.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of J. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 427.5% during the second quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position 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 buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 85.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of J stock traded down $1.87 on Tuesday, reaching $138.00. 654,730 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 809,458. The stock has a market cap of $17.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.70. Jacobs Solutions has a one year low of $104.90 and a one year high of $150.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $141.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.42.

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

Jacobs Solutions Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on J shares. Raymond James raised Jacobs Solutions from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Benchmark downgraded Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $152.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $166.00 to $161.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.50.

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.