Jacobs Engineering (JEC) Soars to 52-Week High, Time to Cash Out?

Have you been paying attention to shares of Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC)? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 1.8% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $74 in the previous session. Jacobs Engineering Group has gained 12% since the start of the year compared to the -8.3% move for the Zacks Construction sector and the -7.5% return for the Zacks Engineering - R and D Services industry.

What's Driving the Outperformance?

The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on August 6, 2018, Jacobs Engineering reported EPS of $1.35 versus consensus estimate of $1.19 while it beat the consensus revenue estimate by 4.33%.

For the current fiscal year, Jacobs Engineering is expected to post earnings of $4.38 per share on $15.08 billion in revenues. This represents a 35.19% change in EPS on a 50.43% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $5.25 per share on $16.6 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 19.69% and 10.11%, respectively.

Valuation Metrics

Jacobs Engineering may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.

On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.

Jacobs Engineering has a Value Score of C. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are B and C, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of B.

In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 16.8X current fiscal year EPS estimates. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 17.3X versus its peer group's average of 10.8X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 1.29. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.

Zacks Rank

We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Jacobs Engineering currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.

Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Jacobs Engineering meets the list of requirements. Thus, it seems as though Jacobs Engineering shares could have a bit more room to run in the near term.

How Does Jacobs Engineering Stack Up to the Competition?

Shares of Jacobs Engineering have been rising, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? Some of its industry peers are also impressive, including Gates Industrial Corporation (GTES), KBR (KBR), and EMCOR Group (EME), all of which currently have a Zacks Rank of at least #2 and a VGM Score of at least B, making them well-rounded choices.

However, it is worth noting that the Zacks Industry Rank for this group is in the bottom half of the ranking, so it isn't all good news for Jacobs Engineering. Still, the fundamentals for Jacobs Engineering are promising, and it still has potential despite being at a 52-week high.

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