Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,210,000 shares, an increase of 22.3% from the March 15th total of 7,530,000 shares. Currently, 8.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.6 days.

Insider Transactions at Kilroy Realty

In other news, EVP John Osmond sold 4,000 shares of Kilroy Realty stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.16, for a total transaction of $140,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $440,484.48. This trade represents a 24.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Angela M. Aman bought 2,797 shares of Kilroy Realty stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $35.45 per share, with a total value of $99,153.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,797 shares of the company's stock, valued at $99,153.65. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.49% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kilroy Realty

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KRC. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Kilroy Realty by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 38,520 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Kilroy Realty by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,848 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Kilroy Realty by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,680 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Kilroy Realty by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,601 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Kilroy Realty by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 155,210 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $6,376,000 after acquiring an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.22% of the company's stock.

Kilroy Realty Price Performance

NYSE KRC traded up $0.07 during trading on Thursday, hitting $32.59. 685,024 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,608,615. The company has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Kilroy Realty has a fifty-two week low of $27.07 and a fifty-two week high of $43.78. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $32.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.26.

Kilroy Realty (NYSE:KRC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.17. Kilroy Realty had a net margin of 18.58% and a return on equity of 3.75%. Research analysts expect that Kilroy Realty will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Kilroy Realty Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.63%. Kilroy Realty's dividend payout ratio is currently 122.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on KRC shares. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of Kilroy Realty from $45.00 to $41.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Mizuho reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $43.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Kilroy Realty in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays upgraded Kilroy Realty from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $42.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Kilroy Realty from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $43.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Kilroy Realty from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.82.

Kilroy Realty Company Profile

Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the company, Kilroy) is a leading U.S. landlord and developer, with operations in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Seattle and Austin. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building operations, innovation and design.