KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on KREF. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 target price (down previously from $9.50) on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.75 to $8.25 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

NYSE KREF opened at $7.30 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $468.92 million, a PE ratio of -6.95 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 423.43 and a current ratio of 407.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $8.31 and a 200-day moving average of $8.73. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $32.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.06 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative net margin of 10.80% and a negative return on equity of 1.13%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 EPS for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s payout ratio is -95.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 12.9% in the second quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 119,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after buying an additional 13,658 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 262.2% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 204,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,792,000 after acquiring an additional 147,895 shares during the last quarter. Condor Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 344,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 74,532 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $570,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 33,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key KKR Real Estate Finance Trust News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $10 to $9 but kept an “overweight” rating, implying meaningful upside vs. the current share level — a supportive institutional view. Article
• Positive Sentiment: KKR’s Q4 call outlined a $1.5B repayment target and aggressive asset resolutions — moves that should strengthen the balance sheet and reduce credit risk over time. MSN: Repayment & Resolutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its target to $8 and rates KREF “market perform” — a muted view that signals steady but limited near-term upside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: The Q4 2025 earnings call transcript/coverage shows revenue and EPS beats but continued negative margins and management’s evaluation of dividend policy — results that are mixed for income-focused investors. Earnings Call Transcript Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its target to $8 and set a “neutral” rating — a downgrade that removes a prior bullish catalyst and likely pressured shares. Article
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG moved from “buy” to “neutral” on KREF, reducing conviction from a prior buy recommendation. BTIG Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut KREF to a “strong sell,” a significant negative signal for sentiment and likely a contributor to intraday selling pressure. Zacks

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.