KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Short Interest Update

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,140,780 shares, a decline of 21.3% from the March 15th total of 5,264,715 shares. Approximately 6.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,445,184 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

Shares of KREF traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $6.70. 645,845 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,650,279. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $430.35 million, a PE ratio of -6.38 and a beta of 0.91. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52-week low of $5.87 and a 52-week high of $9.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83, a current ratio of 407.64 and a quick ratio of 407.64.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.80% and a negative return on equity of 1.13%. The firm had revenue of $32.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.06 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.9%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio is -95.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on KREF. BTIG Research cut shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.00 to $6.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.00.

Institutional Trading of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,101 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 178.3% during the fourth 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 during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 742.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 3,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. 70.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.