Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $80.77, but opened at $88.82. Knife River shares last traded at $91.0030, with a volume of 159,284 shares traded.

The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.15. Knife River had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 10.27%. The business had revenue of $755.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $726.60 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Knife River’s revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

More Knife River News

Here are the key news stories impacting Knife River this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Knife River reported $0.56 EPS vs. $0.41 expected and revenue of $755.1M (up ~15% YoY), showing solid topline and margin performance. Knife River Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded 2026 outlook — management guided revenue to $3.3B–$3.5B and targeted $520M–$560M of adjusted EBITDA for 2026, indicating expected continued growth and margin expansion. Knife River targets $3.3B–$3.5B revenue and $520M–$560M adjusted EBITDA for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Management cites backlog and vertical-integration initiatives as momentum drivers — the call highlighted a growing backlog and strategic moves to integrate upstream to protect margins. Knife River Earnings Call Highlights Backlog-Fueled Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction earlier — coverage noted a strong intraday jump after results and guidance, reflecting investor enthusiasm immediately post-release. Knife River (KNF) Is Up 17.9% After Q4 Beat And Higher 2026 Revenue Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Full transcript and slides available — investors can review the call transcript and slide deck for detail on segment performance and capex plans. Knife River Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term pullback and valuation risk — after the post-earnings run, profit-taking and a premium multiple (P/E elevated vs. history) may pressure the stock until 2026 guidance execution and margin proof arrive; watch quarterly execution against the new targets. Knife River: Earnings Release & Data

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Knife River in a report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $83.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Knife River from $106.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group raised shares of Knife River to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Knife River from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knife River in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.43.

Institutional Trading of Knife River

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Knife River by 141.8% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in Knife River in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new position in shares of Knife River in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Knife River during the second quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Knife River during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Knife River Trading Down 3.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business’s fifty day moving average is $76.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.51. The firm has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.47.

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.