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

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,000,000 shares, a drop of 18.7% from the March 15th total of 3,690,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,710,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on KBR from $70.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of KBR from $77.00 to $69.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. 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. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of KBR from $67.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 63,533 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at this link. Insiders own 1.11% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of KBR by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 531 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems raised its position in KBR by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 7,200 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A lifted its stake in shares of KBR by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A now owns 3,767 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of KBR by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,122 shares of the construction company's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of KBR by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,703 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.02% of the company's stock.

KBR Price Performance

KBR stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $53.05. The company had a trading volume of 1,060,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,306,027. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $50.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.20. KBR has a 12-month low of $43.89 and a 12-month high of $72.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

KBR (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. KBR had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. On average, research analysts anticipate that KBR will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

KBR Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from KBR's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. KBR's payout ratio is currently 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.