Diversified Services Industry's Featured Straggler Of The Day: Jacobs Engineering Group (JEC)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

Jacobs Engineering Group ( JEC) pushed the Diversified Services industry lower today making it today's featured Diversified Services laggard. The industry as a whole closed the day down 0.2%. By the end of trading, Jacobs Engineering Group fell $1.55 (-2.8%) to $53.08 on heavy volume. Throughout the day, 1.7 million shares of Jacobs Engineering Group exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 982,800 shares. The stock ranged in price between $52.87-$54.39 after having opened the day at $54.35 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $54.63. Other companies within the Diversified Services industry that declined today were: Carriage Services ( CSV), down 6.7%, USA Technologies ( USAT), down 5.7%, Bioanalytical Systems ( BASI), down 5.5%, and Willdan Group ( WLDN), down 5.5%.

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Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services to various industrial, commercial, and governmental clients worldwide. Jacobs Engineering Group has a market cap of $7.06 billion and is part of the services sector. The company has a P/E ratio of 18, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 28.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are nine analysts that rate Jacobs Engineering Group a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and six rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Jacobs Engineering Group as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, revenue growth and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity.

• You can view the full Jacobs Engineering Group Ratings Report.

On the positive front, Education Management Corporation ( EDMC), up 14.2%, SuperMedia ( SPMD), up 13.1%, CIBT Education Group ( MBA), up 12.8%, and EnviroStar ( EVI), up 5.4%, were all gainers within the diversified services industry with Geo Group ( GEO) being today's featured diversified services industry leader.

• Use our diversified services section to find industry-relevant news.
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For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the diversified services industry could consider iShares Dow Jones US Cons Services ( IYC) while those bearish on the diversified services industry could consider ProShares Ultra Short Consumer Sers ( SCC).

• Find other investment ideas from our top rated ETFs lists.

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