Short Interest in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Increases By 51.2%

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,690,000 shares, a growth of 51.2% from the February 28th total of 2,440,000 shares. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,690,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Insider Activity at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KBR

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in KBR by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 531 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems lifted its position in shares of KBR by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 7,200 shares of the construction company's stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake 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 valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in shares of KBR by 1.5% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 19,700 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,283,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in KBR by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 58,515 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,390,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.02% of the company's stock.

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KBR Price Performance

Shares of KBR stock traded down $2.16 on Thursday, hitting $51.62. 603,965 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,630,237. The company has a 50 day moving average of $51.81 and a 200 day moving average of $58.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. KBR has a 12 month low of $47.16 and a 12 month high of $72.60. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.08. KBR had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that KBR will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

KBR Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is a positive change from KBR's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. KBR's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on KBR shares. KeyCorp lowered their target price on KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup cut their target price on KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.88.

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.