Short Interest in KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) Rises By 8.2%

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 32,350,000 shares, an increase of 8.2% from the September 15th total of 29,910,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 10,880,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days.

KE Trading Down 11.2 %

Shares of BEKE stock traded down $2.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $19.47. The stock had a trading volume of 18,193,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,475,502. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 47.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of -0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $17.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.90. KE has a 52-week low of $12.44 and a 52-week high of $26.05.

KE (NYSE:BEKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 12th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $2.06. KE had a return on equity of 6.74% and a net margin of 5.32%. The company had revenue of $23.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. KE’s revenue was up 19.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that KE will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on KE from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup began coverage on KE in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $23.80 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.90.

Institutional Trading of KE

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in KE by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,363,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,734,000 after purchasing an additional 4,736,152 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of KE by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,807,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $304,865,000 after purchasing an additional 2,008,418 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of KE by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,666,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,373,000 after purchasing an additional 804,773 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc purchased a new position in shares of KE during the first quarter valued at about $135,880,000. Finally, Turiya Advisors Asia Ltd raised its stake in KE by 56.2% in the second quarter. Turiya Advisors Asia Ltd now owns 5,070,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,743,000 after buying an additional 1,824,206 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.34% of the company’s stock.

About KE

KE Holdings Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in operating an integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services in the People's Republic of China. It operates through four segments: Existing Home Transaction Services, New Home Transaction Services, Home Renovation and Furnishing, and Emerging and Other Services.