Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $96.4286.

Several brokerages have weighed in on KNF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Knife River in a report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Knife River to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Knife River from $86.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Knife River from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Knife River from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knife River

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KNF. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Knife River by 141.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 341 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new position in Knife River during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Country Trust Bank acquired a new position in Knife River during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Knife River in the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Knife River in the second quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Knife River Stock Up 2.8%

NYSE:KNF opened at $90.71 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $76.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.65. Knife River has a 52-week low of $58.72 and a 52-week high of $103.18.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $755.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $726.60 million. Knife River had a return on equity of 10.27% and a net margin of 4.99%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Knife River will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

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.