KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.00.

KREF has been the topic of a number of research reports. BTIG Research lowered shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.50 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.25 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Price Performance

Shares of KREF stock opened at $6.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 407.64 and a current ratio of 407.64. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $6.64 and a fifty-two week high of $11.53. The firm has a market cap of $445.27 million, a P/E ratio of -6.60 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $7.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.49.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $32.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.4%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -95.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ralph F. Rosenberg sold 125,289 shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 13,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,000 after acquiring an additional 1,976 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 210.5% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings 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 valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 2,238 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

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.