Jacobs Solutions (J) Competitors

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) and Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.

Is ACM or J more profitable?

AECOM has a net margin of 3.82% compared to Jacobs Solutions' net margin of 3.53%. AECOM's return on equity of 28.70% beat Jacobs Solutions' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
AECOM	3.82%	28.70%	5.82%
Jacobs Solutions	3.53%	15.67%	6.11%

Is ACM or J a better dividend stock?

AECOM pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Jacobs Solutions pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. AECOM pays out 22.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Jacobs Solutions pays out 35.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. AECOM has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years and Jacobs Solutions has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years. AECOM is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Does the media favor ACM or J?

In the previous week, AECOM and AECOM both had 33 articles in the media. Jacobs Solutions' average media sentiment score of 1.06 beat AECOM's score of 0.90 indicating that Jacobs Solutions is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
AECOM	14 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Jacobs Solutions	18 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, ACM or J?

AECOM has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Jacobs Solutions has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, ACM or J?

Jacobs Solutions has lower revenue, but higher earnings than AECOM. AECOM is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Jacobs Solutions, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
AECOM	$16.11B	0.97	$402.27M	$4.59	25.83
Jacobs Solutions	$11.50B	1.53	$821.09M	$3.63	40.47

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of ACM or J?

85.4% of AECOM shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.7% of Jacobs Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of AECOM shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Jacobs Solutions shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts prefer ACM or J?

AECOM currently has a consensus price target of $127.33, suggesting a potential upside of 7.39%. Jacobs Solutions has a consensus price target of $155.25, suggesting a potential upside of 5.68%. Given AECOM's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe AECOM is more favorable than Jacobs Solutions.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
AECOM	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Jacobs Solutions	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Summary

AECOM beats Jacobs Solutions on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.