Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (NYSE:J - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,080,000 shares, an increase of 33.3% from the December 15th total of 1,560,000 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 748,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Jacobs Solutions Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of J stock traded up $2.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $138.24. The company had a trading volume of 551,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 590,981. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $137.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.48. The company has a market capitalization of $17.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. Jacobs Solutions has a twelve month low of $108.19 and a twelve month high of $150.54.

Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:J - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.71). The firm had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.50 billion. Jacobs Solutions had a net margin of 5.16% and a return on equity of 14.82%. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.90 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Jacobs Solutions will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

J has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James raised shares of Jacobs Solutions from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $160.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Benchmark lowered Jacobs Solutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Jacobs Solutions from $166.00 to $161.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $152.00 price objective on shares of Jacobs Solutions in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Jacobs Solutions from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.11.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 44.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 241 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Jacobs Solutions by 394.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 292 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Jacobs Solutions in the third quarter worth $42,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Jacobs Solutions during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Jacobs Solutions by 55.8% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 405 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. 85.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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