Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,868,418 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 451,887 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in KBR were worth $166,167,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of KBR by 12,326.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,242,416 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $188,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,216,323 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in KBR in the 4th quarter worth about $104,033,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in KBR by 87.2% during the 4th 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 boosted its holdings in shares of KBR by 240.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,653,299 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $95,776,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KBR in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,022,000. 97.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KBR Trading Up 7.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KBR opened at $53.84 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $51.81 and a 200 day moving average of $58.96. The company has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. KBR, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.16 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.

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

KBR Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. KBR’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped 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. KeyCorp cut 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. TD Cowen lowered their target price on KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $961,210.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 63,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,214,134.47. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

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.