Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Raises Position in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,134 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,082 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in KBR were worth $1,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KBR in the fourth quarter valued at $47,022,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in KBR in the 4th quarter worth about $1,131,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in KBR by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,416,531 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,876,000 after acquiring an additional 305,889 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in KBR by 56.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in KBR during the fourth quarter worth about $290,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions at KBR

In related news, insider Gregory Sean Conlon sold 19,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was 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 $3,214,134.47. The trade was a 23.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

KBR Price Performance

KBR stock opened at $47.57 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.86. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.79. KBR, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.16 and a 52 week high of $72.60.

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

KBR Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. This is a boost from KBR’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. KBR’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.57%.

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.