KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Trading Up 8.6% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE:KREF - Get Free Report) shot up 8.6% on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $10.80 and last traded at $10.91. 365,174 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 434,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.05.

The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.20. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 0.40%.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.99%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -333.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the third quarter valued at about $138,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 24.6% during the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 12,885 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 2,546 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $159,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at about $197,000. 70.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Trading Down 2.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75, a quick ratio of 277.63 and a current ratio of 277.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $10.61 and a 200-day moving average of $11.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $773.62 million, a P/E ratio of -37.07 and a beta of 1.00.

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.