Jabil Inc. (NYSE:JBL) Short Interest Up 9.5% in October

Jabil Inc. (NYSE:JBL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,800,000 shares, an increase of 9.5% from the September 30th total of 3,470,000 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,480,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Jabil Stock Performance

JBL stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $124.82. 86,550 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,456,317. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.25. Jabil has a 52 week low of $95.85 and a 52 week high of $156.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $114.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66.

Jabil (NYSE:JBL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The technology company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.08. Jabil had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 42.64%. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Jabil will post 7.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Jabil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Jabil's dividend payout ratio is presently 2.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Jabil news, Director Steven A. Raymund sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.70, for a total transaction of $2,494,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 139,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,346,767.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Matthew Crowley sold 1,380 shares of Jabil stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.83, for a total value of $173,645.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,336,411.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven A. Raymund sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.70, for a total transaction of $2,494,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 139,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,346,767.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,651 shares of company stock worth $3,423,005. 2.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Jabil

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Jabil by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,978 shares of the technology company's stock worth $716,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Jabil by 21.8% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 56,008 shares of the technology company's stock worth $6,711,000 after purchasing an additional 10,026 shares during the period. National Pension Service bought a new position in Jabil during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,794,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Jabil during the 3rd quarter valued at $70,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Jabil by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,589 shares of the technology company's stock worth $195,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 93.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JBL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Jabil from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Jabil from $135.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Jabil from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Jabil from $137.00 to $133.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $143.50.

Jabil Company Profile

Jabil Inc provides manufacturing services and solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Electronics Manufacturing Services and Diversified Manufacturing Services. The company offers electronics design, production, and product management services; electronic circuit design services, such as application-specific integrated circuit design, firmware development, and rapid prototyping services; and designs plastic and metal enclosures that include the electro-mechanics, such as the printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA).

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