StockNews.com Upgrades KBR (NYSE:KBR) to Strong-Buy

KBR (NYSE:KBR) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also commented on KBR. TD Cowen lowered shares of KBR from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, September 6th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of KBR in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $75.50.

KBR Price Performance

NYSE KBR opened at $64.18 on Friday. KBR has a 12 month low of $49.37 and a 12 month high of $69.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.62 billion, a PE ratio of -33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

KBR (NYSE:KBR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The construction company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.04. KBR had a return on equity of 27.92% and a net margin of 2.77%. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that KBR will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now owns 106,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,091,968. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KBR

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KBR in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in KBR by 39.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 817 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of KBR by 454.7% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 821 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of KBR by 17.5% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,204 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 97.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.