Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Issues Positive Forecast for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Stock Price

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $6.50 to $7.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price target suggests a potential downside of 5.74% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $6.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Citizens Jmp lowered KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.50.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

KREF stock opened at $7.43 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.01. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52 week low of $5.25 and a 52 week high of $9.98. The stock has a market cap of $477.49 million, a P/E ratio of -2.26 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 407.64 and a current ratio of 407.64.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported ($0.58) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.56) by ($0.02). KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative net margin of 47.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.46%. The company had revenue of $29.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.97 million. Research analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post -1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In related news, CEO Matthew A. Salem purchased 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.04 per share, for a total transaction of $362,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 703,075 shares in the company, valued at $4,246,573. The trade was a 9.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO W Patrick Mattson purchased 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.03 per share, with a total value of $241,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 500,287 shares in the company, valued at $3,016,730.61. This represents a 8.69% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KREF. Beach Point Capital Management LP bought a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,634,000. Compass Rose Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $2,754,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the first quarter worth about $1,602,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 2,101 shares during the period. Finally, Abel Hall LLC lifted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 99.4% during the 1st quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 40,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 20,074 shares during the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.