Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Hits New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Knife River shares hit a new 52-week low, falling to $48.80 and last trading at $49.13. The stock is well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $59.70 and $73.90, respectively.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans cautious: Knife River has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $70.71, with several firms recently cutting targets or downgrading the stock.
• The company’s latest quarterly EPS of $0.77 missed estimates of $1.13 despite revenue exceeding expectations and rising 12.6% year over year. Institutional investors own approximately 80.11% of the outstanding shares.

Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday. The company traded as low as $48.80 and last traded at $49.13, with a volume of 27,258 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KNF. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Knife River from $62.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Knife River from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. DA Davidson started coverage on Knife River in a report on Monday, August 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup cut shares of Knife River to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Knife River from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Knife River has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.71.

Knife River Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.90. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.46.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $938.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $931.39 million. Knife River had a return on equity of 8.73% and a net margin of 4.23%. Knife River's revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Knife River Corporation will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Knife River

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor bought a new stake in shares of Knife River in the 2nd quarter valued at about $21,242,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Knife River by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,464,690 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,579,000 after acquiring an additional 73,028 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Knife River by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 392,534 shares of the company's stock worth $32,050,000 after acquiring an additional 62,592 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Knife River by 214.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 89,551 shares of the company's stock worth $7,312,000 after acquiring an additional 61,053 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 4D Advisors LLC bought a new position in Knife River during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,518,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.11% of the company's stock.

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation is a construction materials and contracting company serving public and private infrastructure markets across the western and north-central United States. The company produces and supplies essential construction materials, including crushed stone, sand and gravel, ready-mix concrete, asphalt and related products.

In addition to materials production, Knife River provides construction services such as asphalt paving, concrete construction, site development, excavation and other heavy civil work.

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