Leuthold Group LLC Invests $2.37 Million in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR)

Leuthold Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 40,958 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,373,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of KBR by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,926 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of KBR by 90.8% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 32,182 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,096,000 after buying an additional 15,317 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of KBR in the third quarter worth about $65,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of KBR by 993.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 170,515 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,106,000 after acquiring an additional 154,915 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in KBR during the third quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

KBR Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of KBR opened at $49.08 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.83. KBR, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.66 and a 1 year high of $72.60. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

KBR Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. This is a positive change from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. KBR’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on KBR. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of KBR from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $84.00 target price on shares of KBR in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of KBR from $78.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.00.

KBR Profile

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.