KBR (NYSE:KBR) Trading Down 6.5% – Here’s Why

Shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) were down 6.5% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $64.90 and last traded at $65.44. Approximately 753,467 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 1,109,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.97.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KBR shares. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of KBR from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of KBR from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen cut 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 upped their price target on shares of KBR from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of KBR from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.14.

KBR Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.90. The company has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84. KBR had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that KBR, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

KBR Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. KBR’s payout ratio is presently 25.21%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,091,968. This represents a 24.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KBR. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of KBR by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 266,641 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,974,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of KBR by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 87,941 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,598,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of KBR by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,027 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after buying an additional 686 shares during the period. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. increased its position in KBR by 20.0% during the first quarter. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. now owns 60,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,820,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Finally, South Street Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of KBR by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. South Street Advisors LLC now owns 247,648 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,765,000 after purchasing an additional 20,065 shares during the last quarter. 97.02% of the stock is currently 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.