KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,000,000 shares, a decline of 18.7% from the March 15th total of 3,690,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,710,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

KBR Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KBR traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $50.47. The stock had a trading volume of 516,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,307,290. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.73. KBR has a 52 week low of $43.89 and a 52 week high of $72.60. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $50.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. KBR’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.57%.

Insider Transactions at KBR

In related 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 63,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,214,134.47. This trade represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.11% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of KBR. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new position in KBR in the 1st quarter worth approximately $518,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of KBR by 476.2% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 65,858 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,280,000 after buying an additional 54,429 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of KBR by 25.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,365 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of KBR by 295.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 795 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in KBR in the first quarter valued at about $47,000. 97.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KBR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of KBR from $70.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of KBR from $67.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.13.

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.