There's a company out there called Jacobs Engineering (NYSE: JEC ) that, in this topsy-turvy market, you really should pay some attention to. It's a company that provides all manner of engineering, technical, professional, and construction services for a variety of customers, from big companies to major utilities and universities.
It has a balance sheet that you may have seen on the World's Strongest Man, and has managed to plow its way to a price appreciation of about 65% in just the past couple of months. Beyond that, it's just managed to report earnings of $116.4 million, or $0.94 a share, for its first quarter of fiscal 2009, up from $98.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier. That represents a more than 18% improvement from last year's comparable number and a $0.05 win over analyst estimates. At the same time, Jacobs has boosted its backlog by more than $1.0 billion from a year ago.
Not long ago, I noted to my Foolish friends that Jacobs this month has been on a new contract binge. Its new work consists of helping ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM ) improve its diesel production operations in Texas and Louisiana, along with overseeing a four-county drinking water pipeline project in the San Francisco Bay area.
It also will manage the design and construction of a water, steam, and electricity production plant at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Not to mention Jacobs' other challenges involve highway consulting services in the state of Georgia and a major highway project in northern California.
There are those who are convinced that Jacobs, along with the companies with which it competes, including Fluor (NYSE: FLR ) , Foster Wheeler (Nasdaq: FWLT ) and the Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR ) , will benefit from President Obama's determination to make an infrastructure program a major part of his economic stimulus effort.
My strong feeling is that those companies will ultimately benefit from programs both at home and in a variety of overseas settings. Jacobs has targeted the Middle East as a major area of expansion and it already has a strong presence in India. Although it revised guidance for next year down $0.15, Jacobs still expects to reach its 15% growth rate goal. For my money, it continues to deserve attention from Fools looking to move against the current tide of our chaotic market.
Jacobs is a four-star member of the Motley Fool CAPS community. Does the company's growth make you think it deserves yet another star?
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