KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• KKR Real Estate Finance Trust was upgraded from a "strong sell" to a "hold" rating by Zacks Research, reflecting a more positive outlook for the stock.
• Three analysts have rated the stock as a Buy, with an average price target of $11.44, suggesting potential upside from its current price.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of ($0.53) earnings per share, missing the consensus estimate, although it achieved revenue of $35.75 million for the quarter.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $11.44.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Price Performance

NYSE KREF opened at $9.02 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $592.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.67 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.81, a current ratio of 440.20 and a quick ratio of 440.20. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52-week low of $8.28 and a 52-week high of $12.33.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 6.1% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 194,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,703,000 after purchasing an additional 11,110 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 64.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238 shares during the last quarter. Sophron Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 57.1% during the second quarter. Sophron Capital Management L.P. now owns 57,138 shares of the company's stock valued at $501,000 after purchasing an additional 20,759 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.23% of the company's stock.

About KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.