Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC) Short Interest Update

Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,710,000 shares, a growth of 8.3% from the January 15th total of 7,120,000 shares. Approximately 6.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,200,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on KRC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Kilroy Realty from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $49.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Kilroy Realty in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lowered their price target on Kilroy Realty from $43.00 to $42.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $43.00 price objective (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Kilroy Realty in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Kilroy Realty from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $45.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.20.

Kilroy Realty Stock Performance

Shares of KRC stock traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $34.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,508,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,412,915. The stock has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76 and a beta of 1.02. Kilroy Realty has a 12-month low of $30.71 and a 12-month high of $43.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.76 and a 200 day moving average of $38.43. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Kilroy Realty (NYSE:KRC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.17. Kilroy Realty had a net margin of 17.78% and a return on equity of 3.53%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kilroy Realty will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kilroy Realty Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.23%. Kilroy Realty’s payout ratio is 122.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Heidi Rena Roth sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $507,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,211 shares in the company, valued at $2,122,921.08. The trade was a 19.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kilroy Realty

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Kilroy Realty during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Kilroy Realty during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Kilroy Realty by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Kilroy Realty by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,523 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Kilroy Realty by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,601 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. 94.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kilroy Realty

Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the company, Kilroy) is a leading U.S. landlord and developer, with operations in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Seattle and Austin. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building operations, innovation and design.