KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,440,000 shares, an increase of 19.0% from the February 13th total of 2,050,000 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,690,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total transaction of $961,210.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 63,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,214,134.47. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in KBR during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of KBR by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 531 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KBR during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of KBR during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of KBR during the 4th quarter valued at $68,000. 97.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KBR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 target price on shares of KBR in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KBR currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.88.

KBR Price Performance

KBR stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $50.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,108,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,239,363. 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 has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. KBR has a twelve month low of $47.16 and a twelve month high of $72.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $53.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.93.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.08. KBR had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. Research analysts forecast that KBR will post 3.26 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. KBR’s payout ratio is presently 23.57%.

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.