Analysts Set KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Price Target at $11.95

Key Points

• KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has received a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating from five brokerages, with an average price target of $11.95.
• The company missed analysts' earnings estimates for the last quarter, reporting a loss of ($0.53) per share, while revenues exceeded expectations at $35.75 million.
• Recent institutional investments have surged, with several firms significantly boosting their stakes in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, evidencing a strong interest in the stock.

Shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $11.95.

KREF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $12.00 price objective on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 1st quarter worth $2,241,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 72.4% during the 1st quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,063 shares of the company's stock worth $832,000 after buying an additional 32,374 shares in the last quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc grew its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 207.7% during the 1st quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 296,668 shares of the company's stock worth $3,204,000 after buying an additional 200,244 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 690,826 shares of the company's stock worth $6,977,000 after buying an additional 123,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 9,954.2% during 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. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company's stock.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Price Performance

Shares of KREF traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $9.82. 521,977 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 585,905. The company has a market cap of $644.65 million, a PE ratio of -14.87 and a beta of 0.91. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52-week low of $8.28 and a 52-week high of $12.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.81, a quick ratio of 440.20 and a current ratio of 440.20.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by ($0.37). The firm had revenue of $35.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $32.55 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a positive return on equity of 1.61% and a negative net margin of 4.43%. On average, equities analysts predict that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust's payout ratio is presently -151.52%.

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.