Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $3.11 Million Stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 287,754 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,857 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust were worth $3,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KREF. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the fourth quarter worth $1,835,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the fourth quarter worth $330,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the fourth quarter worth $96,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 23,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 6,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 728,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,362,000 after acquiring an additional 175,603 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Performance

NYSE KREF opened at $8.89 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.14 and a 200-day moving average of $9.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.77, a quick ratio of 413.32 and a current ratio of 413.32. The stock has a market cap of $602.80 million, a PE ratio of 55.57 and a beta of 0.91. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52-week low of $8.28 and a 52-week high of $12.95.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $31.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.77 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a return on equity of 5.90% and a net margin of 6.42%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 EPS for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 625.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on KREF shares. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.50 to $9.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $10.75 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $11.88.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Company Profile

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.