KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $12.83.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KREF. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $11.50 to $13.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.50 to $12.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $11.50 target price on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Friday, July 19th.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KREF opened at $11.89 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $12.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.73. The firm has a market cap of $827.19 million, a PE ratio of -39.63 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 277.63, a quick ratio of 277.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 1-year low of $8.71 and a 1-year high of $14.12.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.03. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 0.40%. The company had revenue of $140.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.52 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.41%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -333.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $197,000. Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $898,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,201,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 455,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,372,000 after purchasing an additional 98,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GFS Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 9,591.3% in the third quarter. GFS Advisors LLC now owns 290,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,591,000 after purchasing an additional 287,740 shares during the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Company Profile

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc, a mortgage real estate investment trust, focuses primarily on originating and acquiring transitional senior loans secured by commercial real estate (CRE) assets. It engages in the origination and purchase of credit investments related to CRE, including leveraged and unleveraged commercial real estate loans.