KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) Raised to “Hold” at Robert W. Baird

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) was upgraded by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on KEY. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of KeyCorp from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus lifted their price target on KeyCorp from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of KeyCorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $18.00 price objective on KeyCorp and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on KeyCorp from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.92.

KeyCorp Stock Up 2.2%

KEY stock opened at $21.46 on Tuesday. KeyCorp has a 52 week low of $12.73 and a 52 week high of $23.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a PE ratio of 14.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.10.

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. KeyCorp had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 10.28%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 131.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that KeyCorp will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Angela G. Mago sold 62,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.55, for a total value of $1,354,417.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 261,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,633,493.25. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew J. Paine III sold 65,961 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total value of $1,532,274.03. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 166,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,869,723.09. This represents a 28.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 161,506 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,481 in the last ninety days. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KeyCorp

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. United Community Bank bought a new stake in KeyCorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of KeyCorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of KeyCorp in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KeyCorp during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co bought a new position in KeyCorp during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 79.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting KeyCorp

Here are the key news stories impacting KeyCorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird upgraded KEY from “strong sell” to “hold,” citing that the post‑selloff valuation is more reasonable — a catalyst for investor interest. Baird upgrades KeyCorp (KEY)
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBank signed a multi‑year partnership as the Official Retail Bank of the Portland Thorns, a consumer marketing and community initiative that can boost brand visibility and retail deposits in the region. KeyBank Becomes Official Retail Bank of the Portland Thorns
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBank received nine national/regional Coalition Greenwich 2026 awards for small business and middle‑market banking — a signal of competitive strength that supports commercial loan/deposit franchise confidence. KeyBank Recognized as Best Bank in Small Business and Middle Market Banking
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on KEY to $24.50 (from $22) while keeping a Neutral rating — the higher target can lift sentiment even if the rating stayed unchanged. Mixed Views on KeyCorp (KEY) Amid Constructive Outlook on the Large-Cap Banking
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses of KeyCorp’s capital return strategy highlight steady dividends and a history of buybacks, supporting shareholder return expectations and underpinning valuation. Is KeyCorp Well-Positioned to Support Its Capital Return Strategy?
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp was featured in broader analyst research roundups (multiple firms), which may drive short‑term flows but contain mixed recommendations. Here Are Tuesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus broker recommendations remain around “hold” on average, so while sentiment is improving in places, broad analyst coverage is still mixed. KeyCorp Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

KeyCorp Company Profile

KeyCorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that operates through its primary banking subsidiary, KeyBank. It provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies and large corporations. KeyBank’s offerings span traditional deposit and lending products as well as more specialized financial solutions designed for commercial and institutional clients.

The company’s product and service mix includes retail banking products such as checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential mortgage lending, and auto financing.