KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) Short Interest Update

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 25,940,000 shares, a decline of 13.6% from the April 30th total of 30,040,000 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,890,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BEKE. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of KE in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of KE from $25.80 to $24.80 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of KE from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $22.10 to $23.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $27.16.

Institutional Trading of KE

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of KE in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Siren L.L.C. lifted its position in KE by 75.0% during the first quarter. Siren L.L.C. now owns 105,000 shares of the company's stock worth $2,109,000 after buying an additional 45,000 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in KE during the first quarter worth $1,479,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in KE by 299.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 7,323,774 shares of the company's stock valued at $147,135,000 after buying an additional 5,490,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Axiom Investors LLC DE purchased a new stake in KE in the 1st quarter valued at $25,547,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.34% of the company's stock.

KE Trading Up 0.1%

BEKE stock traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.80. The stock had a trading volume of 8,993,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,268,600. KE has a 52-week low of $12.92 and a 52-week high of $26.05. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $19.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.47. The company has a market cap of $22.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.73.

KE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 9th. This is a boost from KE's previous -- dividend of $0.17. KE's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.49%.

About KE

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.