Short Interest in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Rises By 24.5%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 24.5% to 4,351,038 shares as of March 31, equal to 3.7% of shares outstanding and a short-interest ratio of about 3.9 days.
• Analysts are split (six Buy, six Hold) with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.60.
• Jacobs increased its quarterly dividend to $0.36 (annualized $1.44, ~1.1% yield) and set FY2026 guidance of 6.95–7.30 EPS, while analysts on average expect about 6.05 EPS for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,351,038 shares, an increase of 24.5% from the March 15th total of 3,495,077 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,109,620 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on J. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $130.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Jacobs Solutions from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $130.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Jacobs Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.60.

Jacobs Solutions Price Performance

Jacobs Solutions stock traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $126.08. 539,433 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 898,077. Jacobs Solutions has a 52-week low of $114.27 and a 52-week high of $168.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $132.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.33. The company has a market cap of $14.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.54, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.77.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.01. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 20.59% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. The company's revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Jacobs Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.950-7.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This is an increase from Jacobs Solutions's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Jacobs Solutions's payout ratio is 39.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Shannon Miller sold 1,440 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.13, for a total value of $193,147.20. Following the sale, the president owned 25,344 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,399,390.72. The trade was a 5.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Jacobs Solutions

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 3,186 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 0.5% during the third quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 12,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Jacobs Solutions by 3.0% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 11.2% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 695 shares of the company's stock worth $104,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 7,421 shares of the company's stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.65% of the company's stock.

Jacobs Solutions Company Profile

Jacobs Solutions Inc, commonly known as Jacobs, is a global professional services firm that provides technical, engineering, scientific and project delivery expertise across a broad range of industries. Founded in 1947 by Joseph J. Jacobs in Pasadena, California, the company evolved from a regional engineering consultancy into a diversified provider of design, program and construction management, operations and maintenance, and scientific services for complex infrastructure and industrial programs.

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