J vs. PAYC: Jacobs vs. Paycom Software Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC) both belong to the Professional Services industry, though J is classified under Research & Consulting Services while PAYC falls under Human Resource & Employment Services.

Company profile comparison for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Profile Item	J	PAYC
Name	Jacobs Solutions Inc.	Paycom Software, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Professional Services	Professional Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Research & Consulting Services	Human Resource & Employment Services
Market Capitalization	17.43 billion USD	10.69 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	April 15, 2014
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PAYC

GSPC

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
Total Return (1Y)	3.06%	49.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	13.63%	13.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.41%	-13.38%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PAYC

GSPC

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.18%	47.19%
Beta (5Y)	0.68	0.75
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.44%	-77.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)	878.62K	702.61K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

J and PAYC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.04	0.97
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.05	1.66

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Paycom Software (PAYC) at 42.22% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Jacobs (J) at 8.00% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PAYC.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.00%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
J: 8.00%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

42.22%

Max: 47.06%
PAYC: 42.22%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Paycom Software (PAYC) at 23.28% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Jacobs (J) at 2.38%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.38%

Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
J: 2.38%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

23.28%

PAYC: 23.28%
Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Paycom Software (PAYC) at 38.03% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Jacobs (J) at 7.39%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

7.39%

Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
J: 7.39%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

38.03%

Max: 38.50%
PAYC: 38.03%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
ROE (TTM)	8.00%	42.22%
ROA (TTM)	4.55%	8.98%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.38%	23.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.39%	38.03%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.07%	88.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Jacobs (J) at 4.60% and Paycom Software (PAYC) at 8.95% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Paycom Software (PAYC) at -9.42% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Jacobs (J) at -62.34% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.60%	8.95%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.13%	14.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-62.34%	-9.42%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-21.82%	18.63%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Jacobs (J) at 1.29 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Paycom Software (PAYC) at 1.06 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for PAYC.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.29

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
J: 1.29
Q1: 1.09
Min: 0.45

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.06

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
PAYC: 1.06
Min: 0.45

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Paycom Software (PAYC) at 1.16 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Jacobs (J) at 1.25 uses more debt funding than most peers.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max: 2.37
J: 1.25
Q3: 1.25
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.16

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
PAYC: 1.16
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.29	1.06
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.25	1.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.72	0.75

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Jacobs (J) at 0.92% and Paycom Software (PAYC) at 0.60% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.92%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
J: 0.92%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.60%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
PAYC: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Paycom Software (PAYC) at 14.34% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Jacobs (J) at 45.18% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

45.18%

Max: 99.58%
J: 45.18%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

14.34%

Max: 99.58%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
PAYC: 14.34%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.92%	0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.18%	14.34%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Paycom Software (PAYC) at 22.69 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Jacobs (J) at 49.47 sits in the richer quartile — J needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

49.47

J: 49.47
Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

22.69

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
PAYC: 22.69
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Jacobs (J) at 1.23 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Paycom Software (PAYC) at 4.88 sits in the pricier quartile — PAYC costs more per dollar of sales.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.23

Max: 7.17
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
J: 1.23
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.88

Max: 7.17
PAYC: 4.88
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Jacobs (J) at 5.34 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Paycom Software (PAYC) at 14.62 prices above its benchmark range — PAYC looks rich relative to book.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

5.34

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
J: 5.34
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

PAYC

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

14.62

PAYC: 14.62
Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

Jacobs (J) vs. Paycom Software (PAYC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Jacobs (J) and Paycom Software (PAYC)
Metric	J	PAYC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	49.47	22.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.23	4.88
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.34	14.62
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.71%	5.69%