Zacks Research Downgrades Knife River (NYSE:KNF) to Hold

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Knife River from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Knife River from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Knife River from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Knife River from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Knife River in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.14.

Knife River Stock Down 12.4%

Shares of NYSE:KNF opened at $69.04 on Monday. Knife River has a 1 year low of $58.72 and a 1 year high of $96.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The business’s 50-day moving average is $80.38 and its 200-day moving average is $81.33. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.42.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.36). Knife River had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 9.35%. The company had revenue of $938.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.39 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Knife River will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Knife River

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC raised its position in Knife River by 184.3% in the 4th quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 36,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,586,000 after buying an additional 23,764 shares during the last quarter. Paradice Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Knife River during the 4th quarter worth $22,001,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Knife River by 111.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 63,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,648,000 after buying an additional 33,698 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Knife River by 30.8% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 578,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,664,000 after acquiring an additional 135,982 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Knife River by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 255,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,978,000 after purchasing an additional 119,452 shares in the last quarter. 80.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Knife River News

Here are the key news stories impacting Knife River this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue increased 12.6% year over year to $938.6 million, exceeding the $931.4 million consensus estimate. The company also raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $3.4 billion-$3.6 billion, compared with its previous $3.3 billion-$3.5 billion range. Knife River Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings call and updated outlook will be watched for indications that infrastructure demand, backlog, and pricing can support the company’s full-year targets. Several analysts still maintain price targets well above the current trading level, but those targets may not offset near-term earnings concerns. Knife River Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $0.77 per share, below consensus estimates of approximately $1.11-$1.13 and down from $0.89 a year earlier. Net income fell 13% to $43.9 million, while net margin declined to 4.7% from 6.1%, signaling margin pressure despite higher sales. Knife River Q2 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded KNF from “strong buy” to “hold.” The downgrade, combined with investor caution around the quarterly update and elevated expectations for results near the upper end of guidance, is adding to selling pressure. Zacks

Knife River Company Profile

Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.