KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 30,930,000 shares, a drop of 17.3% from the March 31st total of 37,410,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,810,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company's shares are sold short.

Institutional Trading of KE

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Affirmative Financial Network raised its stake in KE by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 14,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of KE by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,395 shares of the company's stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of KE by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,379 shares of the company's stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of KE by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 4,762 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 1,416 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in KE in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 39.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KE Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of BEKE stock traded down $0.28 on Tuesday, reaching $20.56. The stock had a trading volume of 4,924,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,515,576. KE has a 12 month low of $12.92 and a 12 month high of $26.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.73. The firm's 50-day moving average is $20.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.82.

KE Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were paid a $0.36 dividend. This is a positive change from KE's previous -- dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a yield of 1.4%. KE's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on BEKE shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of KE in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group lowered KE from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $22.70 to $24.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $27.26.

About KE

KE Holdings Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in operating an integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services in the People's Republic of China. It operates through four segments: Existing Home Transaction Services, New Home Transaction Services, Home Renovation and Furnishing, and Emerging and Other Services.