Jabil (NYSE:JBL) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Jabil (NYSE:JBL) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Jabil from $157.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $160.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of Jabil in a report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Jabil from $128.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Jabil from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $153.17.

Jabil Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:JBL opened at $161.32 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.23. Jabil has a 52-week low of $95.85 and a 52-week high of $174.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Jabil (NYSE:JBL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The technology company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.12. Jabil had a net margin of 4.71% and a return on equity of 41.87%. The company had revenue of $6.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Jabil will post 8.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jabil

In other Jabil news, Director John C. Plant sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.55, for a total value of $8,627,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,018,045. This trade represents a 89.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Raymund sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.30, for a total value of $3,026,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 119,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,021,040.40. This represents a 14.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 90,038 shares of company stock valued at $14,207,166. Company insiders own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Jabil

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Meyer Handelman Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Jabil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,334,000. Davis Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Jabil during the 4th quarter worth $1,433,000. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. lifted its holdings in Jabil by 54.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. now owns 39,500 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,733,000 after buying an additional 14,000 shares in the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its position in Jabil by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. now owns 52,173 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,252,000 after buying an additional 4,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Jabil by 11.8% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 145,682 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $17,457,000 after acquiring an additional 15,413 shares in the last quarter. 93.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Jabil

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).