First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J - Free Report) by 43.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 741,342 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 226,272 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.60% of Jacobs Solutions worth $99,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 71.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 42.7% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 334 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 215.7% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.65% of the company's stock.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:J traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $121.67. 527,072 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 781,918. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $121.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $132.07. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $106.23 and a fifty-two week high of $156.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $14.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.73.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The business'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 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from Jacobs Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Jacobs Solutions's payout ratio is presently 26.39%.

Jacobs Solutions declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 4th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

J has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $151.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Jacobs Solutions from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jacobs Solutions currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $150.86.

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.