KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF) Short Interest Update

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF) saw a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,200,000 shares, an increase of 11.1% from the October 31st total of 1,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 458,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust stock opened at $11.39 on Wednesday. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 1 year low of $8.71 and a 1 year high of $14.12. The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.97. The company has a current ratio of 277.63, a quick ratio of 277.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75. The company has a market cap of $792.40 million, a PE ratio of -37.97 and a beta of 0.98.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $140.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.52 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a net margin of 0.40% and a return on equity of 9.46%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.78%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -333.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KREF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.50 to $12.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities upped their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $11.50 to $13.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $14.00 to $13.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $12.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the second quarter worth about $138,000. Abel Hall LLC bought a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the third quarter worth about $138,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 24.6% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 12,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 17.3% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 16,846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 2,481 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, a mortgage real estate investment trust, focuses primarily on originating and acquiring transitional senior loans secured by commercial real estate (CRE) assets. It engages in the origination and purchase of credit investments related to CRE, including leveraged and unleveraged commercial real estate loans.