KBR (NYSE:KBR) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) saw strong trading volume on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. 2,989,497 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 114% from the previous session’s volume of 1,398,267 shares.The stock last traded at $49.16 and had previously closed at $49.14.

The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.08. KBR had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 28.87%.

KBR Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. KBR’s payout ratio is presently 27.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp decreased their target price on KBR from $78.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $84.00 price target on shares of KBR in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on KBR from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.00.

Institutional Trading of KBR

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KBR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in KBR by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,790,454 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $740,951,000 after buying an additional 68,588 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of KBR by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,016,324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $262,185,000 after purchasing an additional 29,833 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of KBR by 12,326.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,242,416 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $188,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,216,323 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of KBR by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,868,418 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $166,167,000 after purchasing an additional 451,887 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in KBR by 87.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,805,163 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $162,503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307,033 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

KBR Trading Up 2.3 %

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.90. The stock has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

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.