Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Stake Boosted by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 45.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,776 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,657 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $1,574,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 2.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,145,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,444,000 after buying an additional 73,566 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its position in Jacobs Solutions by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,988,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $265,649,000 after acquiring an additional 449,161 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 1,040,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,263,000 after acquiring an additional 32,650 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 896,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,724,000 after acquiring an additional 78,284 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 777,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,941,000 after purchasing an additional 17,372 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE J opened at $123.52 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.37. The company has a market cap of $15.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.47, a P/E/G 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 company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

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

Jacobs Solutions announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 4th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. 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. Jacobs Solutions’s payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on J. Citigroup cut their price objective 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, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $153.63.

Jacobs Solutions 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.