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

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,690,000 shares, an increase 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 currently 2.2 days. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Transactions at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $961,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 63,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,214,134.47. This represents a 23.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners grew its stake in KBR by 12,326.4% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,242,416 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $188,098,000 after buying an additional 3,216,323 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of KBR during the fourth quarter worth approximately $104,033,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of KBR by 87.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,805,163 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $162,503,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307,033 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of KBR by 240.2% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,653,299 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $95,776,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of KBR by 444.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,247,506 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $72,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018,539 shares during the period. 97.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KBR Price Performance

KBR traded down $0.53 on Monday, reaching $49.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,238,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,277,104. KBR has a one year low of $47.16 and a one year high of $72.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.32 and a 200-day moving average of $59.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

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

KBR Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. KBR’s payout ratio is presently 23.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup decreased 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. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.88.

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.