KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.26.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group lowered shares of KE from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $22.70 to $24.50 in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of KE in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KE

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KE by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,765,337 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,323,000 after purchasing an additional 44,797 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of KE during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,033,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of KE by 34.0% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 23,735 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 6,017 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in KE by 191.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 590,139 shares of the company's stock worth $11,750,000 after purchasing an additional 387,598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KE during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,956,000. 39.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KE Trading Down 4.2 %

BEKE stock traded down $0.94 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $21.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,973,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,845,249. The company has a market cap of $25.55 billion, a PE ratio of 43.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.73. The firm's 50-day moving average is $20.94 and its 200-day moving average is $19.87. KE has a 12 month low of $12.92 and a 12 month high of $26.05.

KE Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from KE's previous -- dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 9th. KE's dividend payout ratio is 64.58%.

About KE

KE Holdings Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in operating an integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services in the People's Republic of China. It operates through four segments: Existing Home Transaction Services, New Home Transaction Services, Home Renovation and Furnishing, and Emerging and Other Services.