KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• KKR Real Estate Finance Trust was upgraded from a "sell" to a "hold" rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen, reflecting a more optimistic outlook for the company.
• JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, setting a target price of $12.00 per share.
• The company has a market capitalization of $647.28 million and reported a quarterly loss with EPS of ($0.53), which missed analyst expectations.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

Separately, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $12.00 target price on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $11.95.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:KREF traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $9.70. 711,320 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 482,430. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a twelve month low of $8.28 and a twelve month high of $12.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $637.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.70 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.81, a current ratio of 440.20 and a quick ratio of 440.20. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.54.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported ($0.53) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.16) by ($0.37). KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative net margin of 4.43% and a positive return on equity of 1.61%. The company had revenue of $35.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.55 million. On average, analysts expect that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.3%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust's payout ratio is currently -151.52%.

Institutional Trading of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KREF. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 9,954.2% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 2,389 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,450 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,725 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 742.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 3,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 3,904.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,365 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 4,256 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.