Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Has Lowered Expectations for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Stock Price

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) had its target price cut by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $8.25 to $8.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective suggests a potential upside of 8.99% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.00 price objective (down from $9.50) on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Monday, October 20th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.00.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Up 1.0%

KREF opened at $7.34 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $8.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.72. The company has a quick ratio of 423.43, a current ratio of 407.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83. The company has a market cap of $471.82 million, a PE ratio of -6.99 and a beta of 0.88. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52 week low of $7.22 and a 52 week high of $11.53.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $32.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.06 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative return on equity of 1.13% and a negative net margin of 10.80%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In related news, Director Ralph F. Rosenberg sold 125,289 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total value of $1,033,634.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KREF. Condor Capital Management increased its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 418,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,438,000 after buying an additional 44,167 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 178.3% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266 shares during the last quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,976 shares in the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. raised its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 143.9% during the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 43,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 25,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

More KKR Real Estate Finance Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting KKR Real Estate Finance Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 2025 results and management commentary showed strategic expansion and stronger-than-expected numbers (EPS and revenue beat), which supports valuation and cash-flow outlook. Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $1.5B repayment target and aggressive asset resolution plans while evaluating dividend strategy — a deleveraging plan that reduces credit risk and could improve investor confidence if executed. Repayment/Dividend Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $10 to $9 but maintained an overweight rating — a lower target but continued confidence from that shop could limit downside. Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its target to $8.00 and kept a neutral rating, and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also lowered theirs to $8.00 (market perform) — modest target compression but not outright negative stance from these firms. JPMorgan / KBW Notes
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG downgraded KREF from buy to neutral, reducing an important buy-side endorsement and likely weighing on investor sentiment. BTIG Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded the stock from hold to strong sell, a sharp cut that can pressure retail and quant flows tied to third‑party ratings. Zacks Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Implied volatility in KREF options is surging, signaling elevated trader expectation of larger price swings (higher uncertainty and risk premium), which can amplify intraday moves and raise hedging costs. Options Volatility Article

About KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

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.