KBR (NYSE:KBR) Shares Down 5.8%

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) shares were down 5.8% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $62.53 and last traded at $62.58. Approximately 339,371 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 1,110,436 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KBR shares. TD Cowen downgraded shares of KBR from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $72.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of KBR from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of KBR from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of KBR in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.50.

KBR Trading Down 6.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $65.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.32. The company has a market capitalization of $8.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.31, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.90.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. Research analysts predict that KBR, Inc. will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current year.

KBR Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. KBR’s dividend payout ratio is currently -31.25%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.56, for a total value of $2,329,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,091,968. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KBR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of KBR in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $77,193,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in shares of KBR by 359.9% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,467,650 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $93,431,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,503 shares during the last quarter. Empyrean Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of KBR in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,274,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of KBR by 29.4% in the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 2,286,779 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $146,674,000 after purchasing an additional 520,207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wolf Hill Capital Management LP raised its position in KBR by 37.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP now owns 1,877,497 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $120,423,000 after buying an additional 507,800 shares during the last quarter. 97.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.