KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Rating Increased to Sell at Wall Street Zen

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on KREF. Zacks Research lowered KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citizens Jmp cut KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.00 to $6.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.40.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Price Performance

NYSE KREF opened at $7.08 on Friday. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52 week low of $5.25 and a 52 week high of $9.98. The company has a current ratio of 407.64, a quick ratio of 407.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90. The stock has a market cap of $454.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.80 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $6.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.23.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $20.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.76 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative net margin of 23.55% and a negative return on equity of 0.78%. Analysts forecast that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post -1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Matthew A. Salem purchased 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.04 per share, with a total value of $362,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 703,075 shares in the company, valued at $4,246,573. This trade represents a 9.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO W Patrick Mattson acquired 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.03 per share, for a total transaction of $241,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 500,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,016,730.61. This represents a 8.69% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KREF. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Cura Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in 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 worth $828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,101 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 64.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,266 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.