Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. JEC reported better-than-expected results for fiscal second-quarter 2016 (ended Apr 1, 2016). In the fiscal second quarter, adjusted earnings, excluding the impact of restructuring activities, inched up 4.1% year over year to 75 cents per share. The bottom line even surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents. Revenues Revenues in the quarter decreased 4.2% year over year to $2.78 billion. However, the top line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.75 billion. Segment Details Revenues of Petroleum & Chemicals segment came in at $866.6 million, down 17.2% year over year. The Aerospace & Technology segment’s quarterly sales declined 4.5% year over year to $669.5 million. Buildings & Infrastructure segments’ sales were $579.1 million, down 3.8% year over year. However, Industrial segment revenues surged 20.5% year over year to $666.6 million. Costs/Margin Direct costs of contracts, a major expenditure for Jacobs, decreased 3.1% year over year to $2.34 billion. Selling, general and administrative expenses rose approximately 0.1% year over year to $357.4 million. However, the company’s operating margin came in at 3.1%, down 150 basis points (bps) year over year. Jacobs exited the quarter with backlog of $18.2 billion as against $18.9 billion a year ago. Balance Sheet/Share Repurchase Update Jacobs’ cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fiscal second quarter were approximately $559.7 million, down from $460.9 million a year ago. Total debt increased to roughly $530 million from $584.4 million at the end of fiscal 2015. The company’s capital expenditure at the end of the fiscal second quarter amounted to $13.3 million, down 47.6% year over year. During the fiscal second quarter, the company repurchased 8 thousand shares of common stock for $30 million. Outlook Jacobs is overcoming end-market challenges through robust operational performance. The company aims to improve its business via prompt project delivery, appropriate cost reduction and greater business diversification. However, Jacobs anticipates macroeconomic headwinds such as appreciation of the U.S. dollar and weakness in the global commodity as well as energy market prices to weigh on its revenues and earnings in the near future. Based on the current market scenario, Jacobs revised its full-year fiscal 2016 earnings guidance to the range of $2.90–$3.20 per share from the previous estimation of $2.80–$3.30. Other Stocks to ConsiderJacobs presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the industry include AECOM ACM, On Assignment Inc. ASGN and CBIZ, Inc. CBZ. All the companies currently hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report JACOBS ENGIN GR (JEC): Free Stock Analysis Report AECOM TECH CORP (ACM): Free Stock Analysis Report ON ASSIGNMENT (ASGN): Free Stock Analysis Report CBIZ INC (CBZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research