KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its position in shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) by 44.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 380,800 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 307,300 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in KBR were worth $22,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KBR. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in KBR by 278.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,914 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $190,000 after acquiring an additional 2,144 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in KBR by 73.4% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,122 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in KBR during the third quarter worth about $200,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of KBR by 14.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,416,531 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,876,000 after purchasing an additional 305,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of KBR by 45.9% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 5,088 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. 97.02% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KBR has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Cowen cut 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. KeyCorp decreased their target price on KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, KBR presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.86.

Insider Transactions at KBR

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

KBR Stock Performance

Shares of KBR stock opened at $50.26 on Monday. KBR, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.89 and a 12 month high of $72.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company has a market cap of $6.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.12, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.04.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that KBR, Inc. 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. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. KBR’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.57%.

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.