KBR (NYSE:KBR) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $71.53 and last traded at $70.90, with a volume of 16258 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $68.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of KBR from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded KBR from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 6th. KeyCorp upped their price target on KBR from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on KBR from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on KBR from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KBR currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.14.

KBR Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 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. The business has a 50 day moving average of $66.37 and a 200-day moving average of $65.70.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84. KBR had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 28.87%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. KBR’s revenue 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 fiscal year.

KBR Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. KBR’s dividend payout ratio is 25.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KBR news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.56, for a total value of $2,329,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 106,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,091,968. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of KBR

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in KBR by 2,029.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KBR by 39.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 817 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of KBR by 454.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 821 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of KBR during the 3rd quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in KBR by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,204 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.02% of the company’s stock.

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.