J vs. VLTO: Jacobs vs. Veralto Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO) 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 Veralto (VLTO) both fall under the Commercial & Professional Services industry group, but J is classified in Professional Services while VLTO is classified in Commercial Services & Supplies.

Jacobs (J) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Veralto (VLTO) listed on October 4, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Profile Item	J	VLTO
Name	Jacobs Solutions Inc.	Veralto Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Professional Services	Commercial Services & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Research & Consulting Services	Environmental & Facilities Services
Market Capitalization	17.43 billion USD	28.47 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	October 4, 2023
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VLTO

GSPC

Jacobs (J) vs. Veralto (VLTO), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
Total Return (1Y)	3.06%	20.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	13.63%	19.78%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.41%	--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VLTO

GSPC

Jacobs (J) vs. Veralto (VLTO), 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.18%	24.45%
Beta (5Y)	0.68	0.45
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.44%	-27.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)	878.62K	1.77M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

J and VLTO 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 Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.04	0.66
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.05	1.04

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Veralto (VLTO) at 32.96% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Jacobs (J) at 8.00% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for VLTO.

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%

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

32.96%

Max: 47.06%
VLTO: 32.96%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Veralto (VLTO) at 17.27% 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%

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

17.27%

Max: 23.28%
VLTO: 17.27%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Veralto (VLTO) at 19.42% 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%

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.42%

Max: 38.50%
VLTO: 19.42%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
ROE (TTM)	8.00%	32.96%
ROA (TTM)	4.55%	9.96%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.38%	17.27%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.39%	19.42%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.07%	59.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Jacobs (J) at 4.60% and Veralto (VLTO) at 5.97% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Jacobs (J) vs. Veralto (VLTO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Veralto (VLTO) at 12.57% 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. Veralto (VLTO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.60%	5.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.13%	4.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-62.34%	12.57%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-21.82%	3.16%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Jacobs (J) at 1.29 and Veralto (VLTO) at 2.03 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.03

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
VLTO: 2.03
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
Min: 0.45

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Veralto (VLTO) at 0.97 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

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.97

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
VLTO: 0.97
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

Jacobs (J) vs. Veralto (VLTO): 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 Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.29	2.03
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.25	0.97
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.72	0.99

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Jacobs (J) at 0.92% and Veralto (VLTO) at 0.45% 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%

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.45%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
VLTO: 0.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Veralto (VLTO) at 12.84% 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%

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

12.84%

Max: 99.58%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
VLTO: 12.84%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.92%	0.45%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.18%	12.84%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Veralto (VLTO) at 28.91 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

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

28.91

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
VLTO: 28.91
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

Jacobs (J) vs. Veralto (VLTO): 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 Veralto (VLTO) at 4.91 sits in the pricier quartile — VLTO 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

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.91

Max: 7.17
VLTO: 4.91
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Jacobs (J) at 5.34 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Veralto (VLTO) at 8.82 carries an above-peer premium to book — VLTO is pricier on assets.

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

VLTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.82

Max: 11.25
VLTO: 8.82
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Jacobs (J) and Veralto (VLTO)
Metric	J	VLTO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	49.47	28.91
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.23	4.91
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.34	8.82
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.71%	2.68%