Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on Knife River to $95 (from $90) while keeping a "neutral" rating, implying roughly a 3.8% upside versus the current price; analysts' consensus target is about $98 with an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Knife River's Q1 revenue of $410.1M beat estimates and rose ~16% year‑over‑year, but the company reported an EPS loss of ($1.40), a widened net loss and negative adjusted EBITDA, leaving profitability and margin recovery as the key near‑term risks despite a record $1.2B backlog.
• KNF traded up to $91.52 on the latest session, has a market cap around $5.2B and strong institutional ownership (~80.11%), signaling significant investor interest even as upside is currently modest.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $90.00 to $95.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.81% from the stock's current price.

KNF has been the subject of several other reports. B. Riley Financial began coverage on shares of Knife River in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $92.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Knife River from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Knife River from $106.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Knife River in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Knife River from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.00.

Knife River Stock Performance

KNF stock traded up $4.40 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $91.52. The company had a trading volume of 578,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 611,193. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.31. The company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 2.54. Knife River has a twelve month low of $58.72 and a twelve month high of $103.18.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($1.40) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.42) by $0.02. Knife River had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 10.27%. The company had revenue of $410.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $387.06 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($1.21) EPS. Knife River's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Knife River will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knife River

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Register Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Knife River by 117.8% during the 3rd quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 36,115 shares of the company's stock worth $2,776,000 after purchasing an additional 19,536 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its stake in Knife River by 103.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 15,486 shares of the company's stock worth $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 7,866 shares during the last quarter. Voss Capital LP acquired a new stake in Knife River during the 3rd quarter worth $33,823,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Knife River by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 81,315 shares of the company's stock worth $6,250,000 after purchasing an additional 14,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Knife River by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 180,906 shares of the company's stock worth $13,906,000 after purchasing an additional 24,287 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.11% of the company's stock.

Knife River News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Knife River this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management said 2026 is trending toward the upper half of its guidance ranges and disclosed a record backlog of roughly $1.2 billion — a demand signal that supports better revenue visibility for the year. Knife River signals 2026 trending toward upper half of guidance ranges with $1.2B record backlog
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue of $410.1M topped analyst estimates (~$387M) and rose ~16% year-over-year, showing demand growth in aggregates and contracting segments. Stronger-than-expected top-line helped offset profit weakness. Knife River (KNF) Reports Q1 Loss, Beats Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlights reinforced growth initiatives and backlog conversion expectations, providing color that management expects improving operating leverage as projects convert to revenue. Knife River Earnings Call Highlights Growth And Backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated FY‑2026 revenue guidance roughly in the $3.3B–$3.5B range (around consensus), so upside depends on execution and margin recovery rather than a materially higher top‑line target. Knife River Corporation Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts' write-ups provide granular metric comparisons (mix, segment trends, and per-ton pricing) that investors should review to judge whether revenue growth will translate to margin recovery. Compared to Estimates, Knife River (KNF) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 net loss widened to $79.2M and adjusted EBITDA remained negative, leaving profitability and cash‑flow recovery as the primary near-term risks until backlog converts and costs normalize. Knife River Corporation Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: EPS remained negative at ($1.40) and deteriorated versus the prior year (from ($1.21)), underscoring that earnings recovery will depend on margin improvement rather than just top‑line growth. Knife River (KNF) Reports Q1 Loss, Beats Revenue Estimates

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.

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