KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,650,000 shares, an increase of 28.6% from the November 30th total of 2,060,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,490,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on KBR. TD Cowen lowered KBR from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $72.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, September 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of KBR from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of KBR from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on KBR from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on KBR from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.14.

KBR Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KBR opened at $57.05 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 23.97, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s fifty day moving average is $62.63 and its 200 day moving average is $64.46. KBR has a 52 week low of $51.60 and a 52 week high of $72.60.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84. KBR had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. KBR’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that KBR will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

KBR Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. KBR’s dividend payout ratio is 25.21%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in KBR in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of KBR by 2,029.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in KBR by 454.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 821 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new position in KBR during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in KBR during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $111,000. 97.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.