Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Makes New Investment in KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. acquired a new position in shares of KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 38,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $708,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of KE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $530,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of KE by 1.5% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,604,248 shares of the company's stock worth $31,941,000 after purchasing an additional 24,166 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of KE during the third quarter valued at $14,019,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC bought a new position in shares of KE in the third quarter worth about $2,328,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in KE by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 994,515 shares of the company's stock worth $19,801,000 after buying an additional 103,720 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 39.34% of the company's stock.

KE Price Performance

NYSE BEKE traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $20.70. 7,797,415 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,350,422. KE Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.49 and a 52 week high of $26.05. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $20.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.61. The company has a market cap of $25.01 billion, a PE ratio of 42.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.82.

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 issued a $0.36 dividend. This is a positive change from KE's previous -- dividend of $0.17. This represents a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. KE's payout ratio is currently 64.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on BEKE shares. 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 report on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of KE in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded KE from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $22.70 to $24.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $27.26.

KE Company Profile

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.