KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,690,000 shares, an increase of 51.2% from the February 28th total of 2,440,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,690,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

KBR Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of KBR traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $50.34. The company had a trading volume of 900,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,277,258. KBR has a 52-week low of $47.16 and a 52-week high of $72.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $52.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.17. The firm has a market cap of $6.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.08. KBR had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. On average, research analysts predict that KBR will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

KBR Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.165 dividend. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. KBR’s payout ratio is presently 23.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $961,210.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,214,134.47. This represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KBR

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners raised its position in KBR by 12,326.4% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,242,416 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $188,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,216,323 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of KBR during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,033,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of KBR by 87.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,805,163 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $162,503,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307,033 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in KBR by 240.2% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,653,299 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $95,776,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,282 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in KBR by 444.8% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,247,506 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $72,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,018,539 shares in the last quarter. 97.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.88.

About KBR

KBR, Inc provides scientific, technology, and engineering solutions to governments and commercial customers worldwide. It operates through Government Solutions and Sustainable Technology Solutions segments. The Government Solutions segment offers life-cycle support solutions to defense, intelligence, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.