KE Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BEKE)

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 70,153 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 345% compared to the average volume of 15,750 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on BEKE. UBS Group upgraded shares of 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 note on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of KE in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded KE from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup dropped their target price on KE from $25.80 to $24.80 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $27.16.

KE Trading Up 4.0%

NYSE:BEKE traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $19.22. 10,826,876 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,557,303. KE has a fifty-two week low of $12.92 and a fifty-two week high of $26.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.21, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.76. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.45.

KE Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of KE

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of KE in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in KE in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in KE by 411.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of KE during the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in shares of KE in the 1st quarter worth $79,000. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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