Short Interest in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Increases By 19.0%

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in 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. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,690,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in KBR during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KBR in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of KBR by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 531 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KBR in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of KBR in the 4th quarter worth $68,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

KBR Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE KBR traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $51.32. 1,251,046 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,240,061. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $53.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.87. KBR has a 12 month low of $47.16 and a 12 month high of $72.60.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that KBR will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KBR Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. 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.