Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. Buys New Holdings in KBR, Inc. $KBR

Key Points

• Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. has acquired a stake of 37,799 shares in KBR, Inc., valued at approximately $1.88 million, indicating growing institutional interest in the construction company's stock.
• Multiple hedge funds have increased their holdings in KBR, with notable raises from Invesco Ltd. (16.1%) and Boston Partners (35.2%) during the first quarter, contributing to institutional ownership of 97.02%.
• KBR recently reported earnings exceeding estimates with a Q2 EPS of $0.91, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.165 per share, reflecting a 1.3% yield.

Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 37,799 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,883,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in KBR in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in KBR by 295.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 795 shares of the construction company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in KBR in the first quarter worth about $47,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in KBR by 146.9% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,311 shares of the construction company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in KBR by 25.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,365 shares of the construction company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. 97.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group downgraded shares of KBR from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of KBR from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of KBR from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $55.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of KBR from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of KBR from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KBR has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $62.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Stuart Bradie sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.81, for a total value of $1,056,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 802,361 shares in the company, valued at $42,372,684.41. This represents a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.11% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

KBR Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of KBR traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $49.62. 839,805 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,087,804. KBR, Inc. has a 1-year low of $43.89 and a 1-year high of $72.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The company has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $48.49 and a 200 day moving average of $50.35.

KBR (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. KBR had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 33.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. KBR has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.780-3.88 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that KBR, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

KBR Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. KBR's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.91%.

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.