JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Price Target to $8.00

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) had its target price trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $8.50 to $8.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.25 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.00.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Up 1.0%

KREF stock opened at $7.34 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83, a current ratio of 407.64 and a quick ratio of 423.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $471.82 million, a P/E ratio of -6.99 and a beta of 0.88. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $7.22 and a fifty-two week high of $11.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $8.29 and a 200-day moving average of $8.71.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.08. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative return on equity of 1.13% and a negative net margin of 10.80%.The firm had revenue of $32.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.06 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.6%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -95.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KKR Real Estate Finance Trust news, Director Ralph F. Rosenberg sold 125,289 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total value of $1,033,634.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 2,266 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% in the second 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 742.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 3,658 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 3,904.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 4,256 shares during the period. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. 70.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KKR Real Estate Finance Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 2025 results and management commentary showed strategic expansion and stronger-than-expected numbers (EPS and revenue beat), which supports valuation and cash-flow outlook. Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $1.5B repayment target and aggressive asset resolution plans while evaluating dividend strategy — a deleveraging plan that reduces credit risk and could improve investor confidence if executed. Repayment/Dividend Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $10 to $9 but maintained an overweight rating — a lower target but continued confidence from that shop could limit downside. Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its target to $8.00 and kept a neutral rating, and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also lowered theirs to $8.00 (market perform) — modest target compression but not outright negative stance from these firms. JPMorgan / KBW Notes
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG downgraded KREF from buy to neutral, reducing an important buy-side endorsement and likely weighing on investor sentiment. BTIG Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded the stock from hold to strong sell, a sharp cut that can pressure retail and quant flows tied to third‑party ratings. Zacks Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Implied volatility in KREF options is surging, signaling elevated trader expectation of larger price swings (higher uncertainty and risk premium), which can amplify intraday moves and raise hedging costs. Options Volatility Article

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.