KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Short Interest Update

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

KBR Price Performance

NYSE KBR traded down $0.03 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 366,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,273,585. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $52.13 and a 200 day moving average of $59.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. KBR has a one year low of $47.16 and a one year high of $72.60.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. KBR had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. Analysts expect that KBR will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 1.33%. This is a positive change from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. KBR’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KBR has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KBR presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.88.

Insider Transactions at KBR

In other KBR news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,214,134.47. This represents 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 accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of KBR in the third quarter worth about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in KBR by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 531 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in KBR in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KBR during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of KBR during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

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.