Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $96.3333.

A number of research firms recently commented on KNF. UBS Group raised shares of Knife River to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Knife River from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knife River in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Knife River in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Knife River from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th.

Knife River Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KNF opened at $70.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50-day moving average is $71.17 and its 200 day moving average is $76.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.39. Knife River has a fifty-two week low of $58.72 and a fifty-two week high of $108.83.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. Knife River had a net margin of 4.87% and a return on equity of 9.97%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Knife River will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Knife River

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Knife River by 141.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 341 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Country Trust Bank bought a new stake in shares of Knife River during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Knife River during the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Knife River during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in Knife River in the 2nd quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.