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

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) saw a large increase in short interest in 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. Approximately 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,109,620 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Jacobs Solutions Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE J traded down $1.23 on Thursday, hitting $126.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 539,433 shares, compared to its average volume of 898,077. The firm 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 has a 52-week low of $114.27 and a 52-week high of $168.44. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.09 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 20.59% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. Jacobs Solutions has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.950-7.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is an increase from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jacobs Solutions

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Jacobs Solutions by 828.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,326,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,434,000 after acquiring an additional 1,184,068 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 246.3% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,338,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $177,324,000 after purchasing an additional 952,151 shares during the period. L1 Capital International Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 363.6% during the fourth quarter. L1 Capital International Pty Ltd now owns 723,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,839,000 after purchasing an additional 567,478 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,379,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,673,000 after purchasing an additional 552,277 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Jacobs Solutions by 68.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,288,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,194,000 after purchasing an additional 525,291 shares during the period. 85.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on J. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a report on Monday, December 29th. 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. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $130.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Jacobs Solutions from $130.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Jacobs Solutions from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.60.

About Jacobs Solutions

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.