KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) Stake Lessened by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) by 41.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 32,379 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 23,205 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in KBR were worth $1,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in KBR by 87.2% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 1,307,033 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in KBR in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,022,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in KBR by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,416,531 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $167,876,000 after buying an additional 305,889 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of KBR by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 882,086 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $51,099,000 after buying an additional 218,853 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of KBR by 4,822.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 194,800 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $11,285,000 after acquiring an additional 190,843 shares in the last quarter. 97.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KBR Stock Performance

NYSE:KBR opened at $51.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.58, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. KBR, Inc. has a 1 year low of $47.16 and a 1 year high of $72.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.46.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 24th. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.08. KBR had a return on equity of 28.87% and a net margin of 4.35%. The business had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KBR, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

KBR Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. KBR’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.57%.

Insider Transactions at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $961,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 63,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,214,134.47. This trade represents a 23.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KBR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on KBR from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on KBR from $75.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of KBR from $72.00 to $64.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of KBR from $70.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.88.

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.