KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.40.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KREF shares. BTIG Research cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a report on Tuesday, April 21st.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

KREF opened at $6.44 on Thursday. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 12-month low of $5.25 and a 12-month high of $9.98. The stock has a market cap of $413.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.46 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50 day moving average of $6.50 and a 200-day moving average of $7.51. The company has a quick ratio of 407.64, a current ratio of 407.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.17). KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative net margin of 23.55% and a negative return on equity of 0.78%. The business had revenue of $20.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.76 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post -1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s payout ratio is currently -53.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In other KKR Real Estate Finance Trust news, CEO Matthew A. Salem purchased 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.04 per share, for a total transaction of $362,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 703,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,246,573. This trade represents a 9.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO W Patrick Mattson purchased 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.03 per share, for a total transaction of $241,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 500,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,016,730.61. The trade was a 8.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% in the 2nd 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. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 210.5% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,101 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 64.1% in the 2nd 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. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 178.3% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

About KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc (NYSE: KREF) is a mortgage real estate investment trust sponsored by KKR & Co Inc The company focuses on originating, acquiring, financing and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and real estate-related assets across the United States and select European markets.

The trust’s investment strategy is centered on lending to high-quality office, industrial, retail, multifamily and hotel properties. Its portfolio primarily consists of senior mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, floating-rate debt securities and preferred equity positions.