KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $22.00 to $24.50. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. KeyCorp traded as high as $23.35 and last traded at $23.03, with a volume of 11993627 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.21.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on KEY. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of KeyCorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of KeyCorp from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of KeyCorp from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of KeyCorp from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of KeyCorp from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.03.

Insider Transactions at KeyCorp

In related news, insider Andrew J. Paine III sold 65,961 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total value of $1,532,274.03. Following the sale, the insider owned 166,583 shares in the company, valued at $3,869,723.09. This represents a 28.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Angela G. Mago sold 62,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.55, for a total value of $1,354,417.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 261,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,633,493.25. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 161,506 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,481 in the last ninety days. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting KeyCorp

Here are the key news stories impacting KeyCorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Activist HoldCo has pivoted and now backs KeyCorp’s leadership, signaling it will not pursue proxy fights after KeyCorp made agreed changes — this removes a key governance overhang and is a clear positive catalyst. Activist HoldCo Pivots on KeyCorp
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage has improved and an upgrade/re‑rating helped push KEY to a new one‑year high recently — analyst target increases provide momentum and underpin near‑term upside. KeyCorp Reaches New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp declared a quarterly dividend of $0.205 (annualized ~$0.82, yield ~3.6%), supporting income investor interest and reducing downside for yield‑sensitive holders. KeyCorp stock page (dividend details)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at UBS and Bank of America conferences; transcripts are available and offer updated commentary on strategy, capital deployment and loan growth but contained no market‑moving surprises. UBS presentation BofA transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Andrew J. Paine III, Head of Institutional Bank, sold 65,961 shares (~$1.53M) and reduced his stake by ~28% — large insider selling can prompt short‑term investor caution and add to selling flows despite company fundamentals. Insider sale disclosure

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in KeyCorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of KeyCorp by 8,775.0% in the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 1,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,404 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank purchased a new position in shares of KeyCorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of KeyCorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co purchased a new stake in KeyCorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.69% of the company’s stock.

KeyCorp Trading Down 1.7%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $21.21 and a 200-day moving average of $19.25. The stock has a market cap of $24.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. KeyCorp had a return on equity of 10.28% and a net margin of 15.97%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 131.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that KeyCorp will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

KeyCorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.205 per share. This represents a $0.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. KeyCorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.95%.

KeyCorp Company Profile

KeyCorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that operates through its primary banking subsidiary, KeyBank. It provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies and large corporations. KeyBank’s offerings span traditional deposit and lending products as well as more specialized financial solutions designed for commercial and institutional clients.

The company’s product and service mix includes retail banking products such as checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential mortgage lending, and auto financing.