KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) Hits New 1-Year High After Strong Earnings

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $21.80 and last traded at $21.73, with a volume of 2778047 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $21.09.

The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. KeyCorp had a return on equity of 10.28% and a net margin of 15.97%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 131.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS.

KeyCorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. KeyCorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.95%.

Key Headlines Impacting KeyCorp

Here are the key news stories impacting KeyCorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: KeyCorp beat expectations on EPS ($0.41 vs. $0.39) and revenue, driven by strong year‑over‑year growth — supports earnings momentum. KeyCorp’s (NYSE:KEY) Q4 CY2025: Beats On Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp reached a 52‑week high, reflecting recent bullish investor demand and reassessment of growth prospects. Keycorp stock reaches 52-week high at 21.76 USD
• Positive Sentiment: Management is redeploying capital into growth initiatives — hiring more bankers and investing in AI — which could lift future revenue and efficiency. Cleveland’s KeyCorp deploying capital by hiring bankers, investing in AI
• Positive Sentiment: Governance update: KeyCorp named a new lead independent director, strengthening board oversight and investor governance confidence. KeyCorp names new lead independent director
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party interest: Scotiabank expects a material boost to its quarterly net income from its stake in KeyCorp, highlighting institutional investment and potential shareholder support. Bank of Nova Scotia Expects C$81M Boost to 1Q Net Income From KeyCorp Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage: Recent reports (e.g., Argus) provide deeper forecasts and valuation context but don’t show a clear consensus catalyst to drive an extended move. Analyst Report: KeyCorp
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript available for detail-oriented investors reviewing management commentary and outlook from the Q4 call. KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Critical take: some analysts/commentary argue that while KeyCorp is improving, the pace or magnitude of progress may be insufficient to justify further immediate re-rating — a factor pressuring shares after recent gains. KeyCorp’s Doing Well, But It’s Not Enough

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KEY has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of KeyCorp from $19.50 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on KeyCorp from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $18.00 price objective on KeyCorp and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on KeyCorp from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on KeyCorp from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.44.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KeyCorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of KeyCorp during the fourth quarter valued at $476,000. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in KeyCorp by 41.4% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 84,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,346,000 after purchasing an additional 24,627 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of KeyCorp by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 174,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,221,000 after purchasing an additional 20,414 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KeyCorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $254,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of KeyCorp by 5.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 35,272 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933 shares in the last quarter. 79.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KeyCorp Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $23.57 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The company’s fifty day moving average is $20.04 and its 200-day moving average is $18.89.

KeyCorp Company Profile

KeyCorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that operates through its primary banking subsidiary, KeyBank. It provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies and large corporations. KeyBank’s offerings span traditional deposit and lending products as well as more specialized financial solutions designed for commercial and institutional clients.

The company’s product and service mix includes retail banking products such as checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential mortgage lending, and auto financing.