KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,150,000 shares, a drop of 11.5% from the January 15th total of 1,300,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 480,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KREF. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 144.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 145,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,802,000 after acquiring an additional 86,327 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 311.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 99,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 75,200 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC raised its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 88.6% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 166,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,055,000 after buying an additional 78,180 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $2,792,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $898,000. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

Shares of KREF traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $11.38. The stock had a trading volume of 290,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 458,147. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $8.71 and a fifty-two week high of $12.95. The company has a quick ratio of 277.63, a current ratio of 296.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50. The company has a market cap of $781.58 million, a PE ratio of 63.19 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.31.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.20. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a net margin of 6.30% and a return on equity of 8.53%. On average, equities analysts expect that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.79%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 555.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities upped their target price on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $12.50 to $13.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $13.00 to $12.25 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.50 to $10.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $14.00 to $13.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $12.46.

About KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

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.