Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Acquires 748 Shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,738 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Jacobs Solutions were worth $1,168,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 44.3% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 71.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 394.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Jacobs Solutions in the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 42.7% in the fourth 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. 85.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on J. StockNews.com began coverage on Jacobs Solutions in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $154.00 to $148.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Benchmark lowered Jacobs Solutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $152.00 price target on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $161.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Jacobs Solutions currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $153.63.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Performance

J opened at $124.33 on Thursday. Jacobs Solutions Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.71 and a 12-month high of $156.31. The stock has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.63, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $131.19 and a 200-day moving average of $137.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Jacobs Solutions had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 4.28%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.92 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Jacobs Solutions Inc. will post 6.05 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Jacobs Solutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. This is a boost from Jacobs Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Jacobs Solutions’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.39%.

About Jacobs Solutions

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.