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

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,520,000 shares, a drop of 11.1% from the September 15th total of 1,710,000 shares. Currently, 1.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 922,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at KBR

In related news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of KBR stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.56, for a total transaction of $2,329,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,091,968. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KBR

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of KBR in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of KBR by 2,029.2% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of KBR by 39.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 817 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of KBR by 454.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 821 shares of the construction company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in KBR by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,204 shares of the construction company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. 97.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KBR Stock Performance

KBR traded down $1.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $67.87. 1,041,465 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,098,402. The company's 50-day moving average is $65.45 and its 200 day moving average is $65.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a PE ratio of -35.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.90. KBR has a 52 week low of $49.37 and a 52 week high of $69.77.

KBR (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The construction company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.04. KBR had a net margin of 2.77% and a return on equity of 27.92%. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. On average, research analysts expect that KBR will post 3.25 EPS for the current year.

KBR Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. KBR's dividend payout ratio is -31.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on KBR shares. StockNews.com cut KBR from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, October 6th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on KBR from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of KBR from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $72.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of KBR in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KBR has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $76.75.

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.