KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Receives Buy Rating from BTIG Research

BTIG Research reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $13.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 price target (down previously from $9.50) on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.75 to $8.25 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.45.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

Shares of KREF stock opened at $8.29 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 423.43, a current ratio of 423.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $8.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.75. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52 week low of $7.55 and a 52 week high of $11.53. The company has a market cap of $543.17 million, a P/E ratio of -23.70 and a beta of 0.88.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s payout ratio is -285.71%.

Insider Activity at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In related news, COO W Patrick Mattson acquired 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.91 per share, for a total transaction of $102,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer directly owned 386,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,059,485.17. The trade was a 3.48% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew A. Salem bought 32,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $7.84 per share, for a total transaction of $250,880.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 561,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,404,708. This represents a 6.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 55,000 shares of company stock valued at $431,710. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 742.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 3,658 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 3,904.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 4,256 shares in the last quarter. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 64.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238 shares during the period. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Company Profile

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc (NYSE: KREF) is a mortgage real estate investment trust sponsored by KKR & Co Inc The company focuses on originating, acquiring, financing and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and real estate-related assets across the United States and select European markets.

The trust’s investment strategy is centered on lending to high-quality office, industrial, retail, multifamily and hotel properties. Its portfolio primarily consists of senior mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, floating-rate debt securities and preferred equity positions.