KBR, Inc. $KBR Stock: Royce & Associates LP Lowers Holdings

Royce & Associates LP reduced its position in shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 985,406 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 141,812 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned 0.78% of KBR worth $34,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KBR during the 2nd quarter worth about $479,892,000. Engine Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of KBR by 1,129.3% in the 1st quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 1,531,313 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406,746 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in KBR by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,545,933 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $54,355,000 after purchasing an additional 109,264 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in KBR by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 919,397 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,889,000 after purchasing an additional 211,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in KBR in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,044,000. Institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

KBR Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KBR traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $35.50. 2,079,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,988,411. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.42. KBR, Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.94 and a twelve month high of $45.37.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The construction company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.12. KBR had a net margin of 5.65% and a return on equity of 31.66%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.02 EPS. KBR’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that KBR, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

KBR Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.1650 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. KBR’s payout ratio is 18.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on KBR from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on KBR from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised KBR from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on KBR from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on KBR from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.83.

About KBR

KBR, Inc. is a global provider of engineering, technology and professional services. The company serves government and commercial customers through two main businesses: Government Solutions and Sustainable Technology Solutions. Government Solutions supports defense, intelligence, space and civilian agencies with services that include mission support, logistics, science and technology, and operations and maintenance. Sustainable Technology Solutions provides engineering, consulting and project services for energy, chemicals and other industrial markets, along with technologies related to lower-carbon energy and sustainable products.