ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 6,372 Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its position in Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 330,025 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,372 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Solutions accounts for approximately 2.2% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.26% of Jacobs Solutions worth $42,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirabella Financial Services LLP bought a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the 3rd quarter valued at $202,000. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT bought a new position in shares of Jacobs Solutions during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,192,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 62.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 61,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,328,000 after buying an additional 23,509 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 691,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,452,000 after acquiring an additional 62,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 80,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,988,000 after acquiring an additional 10,296 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.65% of the company’s stock.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Up 0.2 %

J stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $143.83. 382,613 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 659,007. The stock has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.00 and a 1 year high of $154.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $147.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.61.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.46. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 4.20%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 8.07 EPS for the current year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. This is a positive change from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.71%.

Insider Transactions at Jacobs Solutions

In other news, CFO Kevin C. Berryman sold 1,500 shares of Jacobs Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.20, for a total transaction of $229,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 233,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,711,532.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Kevin C. Berryman sold 1,500 shares of Jacobs Solutions stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.20, for a total transaction of $229,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 233,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,711,532.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shelette M. Gustafson sold 1,852 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $274,096.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,791 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,261,068. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,838 shares of company stock worth $2,393,710 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on J. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $151.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp began coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Argus boosted their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $154.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.08.

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.