Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires 154,915 Shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR - Free Report) by 993.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 170,515 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 154,915 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.13% of KBR worth $11,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norden Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of KBR by 1,030.1% in the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 74,200 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,723,000 after purchasing an additional 67,634 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of KBR during the 1st quarter worth $868,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in shares of KBR by 73.9% during the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 326,319 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $20,773,000 after acquiring an additional 138,633 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of KBR by 49.4% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 84,965 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,410,000 after purchasing an additional 28,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its holdings in KBR by 27.5% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 72,580 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,620,000 after purchasing an additional 15,651 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.02% of the company's stock.

KBR Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of KBR traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $67.20. The stock had a trading volume of 1,123,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,109,139. The stock's 50 day moving average is $66.23 and its 200 day moving average is $65.40. The firm has a market cap of $9.02 billion, a PE ratio of -35.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. KBR, Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.37 and a 1 year high of $71.38.

KBR (NYSE:KBR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.84. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. KBR had a net margin of 2.77% and a return on equity of 27.92%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that KBR, Inc. will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KBR Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. KBR's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -31.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KBR has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded KBR from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, October 6th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of KBR from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $72.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, September 6th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of KBR from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of KBR from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on KBR from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KBR has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $78.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,091,968. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.