Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $20.08 Million Stake in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR - Free Report) by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 308,256 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 138,950 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of KBR worth $20,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners raised its stake in KBR by 49.4% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 84,965 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,410,000 after purchasing an additional 28,091 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in shares of KBR by 27.5% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 72,580 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,620,000 after acquiring an additional 15,651 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of KBR during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,928,000. Rational Advisors LLC increased its stake in KBR by 128.2% in the third quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 37,200 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,423,000 after acquiring an additional 20,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in KBR by 21.9% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 71,144 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,529,000 after purchasing an additional 12,792 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.02% of the company's stock.

KBR Trading Down 14.0 %

Shares of KBR stock traded down $9.81 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.16. 6,783,254 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,136,658. The stock has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a PE ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.89. KBR, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.45 and a 12 month high of $72.60. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $66.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.90. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.84. KBR had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. The company's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KBR, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

KBR Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. KBR's payout ratio is currently 25.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson boosted their price target on KBR from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen cut shares of KBR from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, September 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of KBR from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of KBR from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, October 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.14.

Insider Transactions at KBR

In related news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.56, for a total transaction of $2,329,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 106,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,091,968. This trade represents a 24.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

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.