KBR Secures $88M Contract for Unmanned Systems Integration

KBR, Inc. KBR has secured an $88 million task order contract under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center’s multiple-award contract vehicle. The U.S. Air Force’s 774 Enterprise Sourcing Squadron awarded the contract to enhance the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) repository. This five-year project will primarily be carried out at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.KBR will focus on the rapid prototyping of new technologies for unmanned aviation platforms, testing them in realistic environments and integrating them into existing systems. The company will also work on refining these technologies into producible and sustainable products.KBR's Continued Success in Unmanned Systems IntegrationThis contract strengthens KBR’s position in delivering high-end capabilities and handling complex systems integrations. This indicates the company’s ability to expand its work with current clients and provide added value.KBR has supported all four UAS program offices over the past 15 years, contributing to both fielded and developmental unmanned systems. The company has worked on various platforms, including the Expeditionary Tactical UAS, MQ-4C Triton, MQ-9A Reaper and MQ-25A Stingray.KBR's Strong Backlog Supports GrowthKBR’s strong project momentum stems from its resilient business model and efficiency-driven initiatives. The increasing global emphasis on national security, energy security, energy transition and climate change has provided significant tailwinds. With more than five decades of design engineering expertise across industries, KBR remains a leader in decarbonization efforts, utilizing innovative processes and low-carbon technologies to effectively reduce emissions.KBR’s solid backlog and option level of $22.12 billion at the third quarter of fiscal 2024-end highlight its underlying strength. It received $3.3 billion in bookings and options in highly strategic areas with a trailing 12-month book-to-bill of 1.1x. Total revenues increased 10% to $1.95 billion year over year in the third quarter of fiscal 2024.Particularly, revenues in the Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) segment rose 8% year over year to $457 million. Of the total backlog, STS segment contributed $3.8 billion.KBR Stock Price PerformanceShares of KBR have underperformed the Zacks Engineering - R and D Services industry this year so far. The stock has gained 2.6% compared with the industry’s 14.3% growth in the same time frame.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchNonetheless, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings indicates 18.2% growth from a year-ago revenue growth of 13.3%. New and on-contract growth across its businesses coupled with increased demand for sustainable services and technology is likely to benefit the company in the upcoming period.KBR’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksCurrently, KBR carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks in the same space have been discussed below:Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. STRL presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Sterling Infrastructure delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.5%, on average. STRL’s shares have gained 100.8% year to date (YTD). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STRL’s 2025 sales and earnings per share (EPS) indicates a rise of 7.3% and 8.1%, respectively, from the prior-year levels.AECOM ACM presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.2%, on average.ACM’s shares have gained 19.4% YTD. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACM’s fiscal 2025 EPS indicates a rise of 12.8% from the prior-year levels.Altair Engineering Inc. ALTR currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 20.8%, on average.ALTR’s shares have gained 27% YTD. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALTR’s 2025 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 8.9% and 12.7%, respectively, from prior-year levels.Free Today: Profiting from The Future’s Brightest Energy SourceThe demand for electricity is growing exponentially. At the same time, we’re working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. 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