KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Short Interest Up 19.0% in February

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

KBR Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:KBR traded down $1.04 during trading on Thursday, reaching $50.26. 564,737 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,236,654. KBR has a 1-year low of $47.16 and a 1-year high of $72.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $53.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.87. 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 market cap of $6.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. KBR had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 28.87%. Research analysts anticipate that KBR will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KBR Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 63,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,214,134.47. This trade represents a 23.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in KBR by 2.9% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 11,764 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $766,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of KBR during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $771,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of KBR by 85.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,109 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,329,000 after purchasing an additional 23,491 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of KBR by 34.6% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 55,584 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,620,000 after purchasing an additional 14,295 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in KBR by 27.8% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,621,740 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $105,624,000 after purchasing an additional 353,209 shares during the period. 97.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KBR Company 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.