KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Wall Street Zen

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on KREF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.00 to $6.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup downgraded shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.40.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

Shares of KREF traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $7.37. The stock had a trading volume of 711,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 910,611. The company has a market cap of $473.57 million, a PE ratio of -3.96 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $6.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.07. The company has a quick ratio of 407.64, a current ratio of 407.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $5.25 and a fifty-two week high of $9.98.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $20.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post -1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In related news, COO W Patrick Mattson bought 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $6.03 per share, for a total transaction of $241,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief operating officer owned 500,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,016,730.61. This represents a 8.69% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew A. Salem purchased 60,000 shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $6.04 per share, with a total value of $362,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 703,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,246,573. This trade represents a 9.33% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Conversant Capital LLC bought a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 1st quarter worth about $9,000,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 7.7% during the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,201,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,810,000 after buying an additional 85,411 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 36.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,145,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,313,000 after buying an additional 304,413 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,002,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,244,000 after buying an additional 96,947 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,212,000. 70.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Company Profile

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.