Baillie Gifford & Co. Lowers Stake in KE Holdings Inc. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BEKE)

Key Points

• Baillie Gifford & Co. reduced its stake in KE Holdings Inc. by 3.9%, now holding approximately 1.27 million shares valued at $25.4 million.
• Institutional investors own 39.34% of KE Holdings' stock, with notable increases in holdings from firms like FIL Ltd and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
• Analyst ratings for KE Holdings have varied, with UBS upgrading it to a "buy" while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to a "hold", leading to a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target of $27.16.

Baillie Gifford & Co. lessened its holdings in shares of KE Holdings Inc. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:BEKE - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,266,623 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,739 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 0.10% of KE worth $25,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in KE by 13.4% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 741,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,897,000 after acquiring an additional 87,659 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in KE by 14.6% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,489,000 after purchasing an additional 15,802 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in KE in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD boosted its stake in shares of KE by 106.5% during the 4th quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD now owns 564,845 shares of the company's stock worth $10,404,000 after acquiring an additional 291,291 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in KE by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,357,958 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,014,000 after purchasing an additional 153,581 shares during the period. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KE Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE BEKE traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $18.63. 1,714,509 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,911,530. The stock has a market cap of $22.51 billion, a PE ratio of 35.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of -0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $18.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.45. KE Holdings Inc. Sponsored ADR has a 52 week low of $12.92 and a 52 week high of $26.05.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on BEKE. Wall Street Zen lowered KE from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. UBS Group raised KE from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $22.10 to $23.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on KE from $25.80 to $24.80 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $27.16.

KE Profile

KE Holdings Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in operating an integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services in the People's Republic of China. It operates through four segments: Existing Home Transaction Services, New Home Transaction Services, Home Renovation and Furnishing, and Emerging and Other Services.