Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.00.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KNF shares. B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on shares of Knife River in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Knife River from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Knife River from $106.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Knife River in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Knife River from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Key Headlines Impacting Knife River

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue beat and small EPS beat — Knife River reported revenue of $410.1M (up 16% YoY) and a GAAP loss of $1.40 per share that marginally beat consensus (-$1.42). Revenue strength is the main positive takeaway. Business Wire Q1 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog and guidance tone — Management signaled 2026 is trending toward the upper half of its guidance ranges and reported a record ~$1.2B backlog, supporting revenue visibility and near-term demand for aggregates/contracting. Seeking Alpha: Backlog & Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target lift — JPMorgan raised its price target from $90 to $95 (while maintaining a neutral rating), signaling some upside to current shares from a blue‑chip analyst. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: FY revenue guidance largely in line — Knife River’s updated FY revenue range of ~$3.3B–$3.5B sits around consensus, so guidance didn’t materially surprise to the upside but supports management’s outlook. Slide Deck / Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings‑call detail summaries available — Management reviewed growth drivers and backlog on the call; read the call highlights to judge sustainability of margins and project mix. TipRanks: Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Wider GAAP net loss and negative adjusted EBITDA — Despite the revenue beat, net loss widened year-over-year and adjusted EBITDA remained pressured, which could weigh on near-term margins and investor sentiment if improvements aren’t clear. Business Wire Q1 Release

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knife River

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Knife River by 141.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Knife River during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Knife River by 1,088.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 594 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knife River in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Knife River by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Knife River Trading Up 5.0%

Shares of KNF stock opened at $91.52 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Knife River has a fifty-two week low of $58.72 and a fifty-two week high of $103.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $84.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.49. The stock has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.55.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($1.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.42) by $0.02. Knife River had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 9.35%. The company had revenue of $410.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $387.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($1.21) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Knife River will post 3.21 EPS for the current year.

About Knife River

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.