Compass Rose Asset Management LP Acquires Shares of 335,000 KKR Real Estate Finance Trust $KREF

Compass Rose Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 335,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,754,000. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust accounts for 0.2% of Compass Rose Asset Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KREF. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,212,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 368.5% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 536,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,701,000 after acquiring an additional 421,657 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 92.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 841,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,380,000 after acquiring an additional 403,660 shares during the period. Beach Point Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 4th quarter worth $1,634,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 148.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 312,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,741,000 after acquiring an additional 186,687 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO W Patrick Mattson bought 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.03 per share, for a total transaction of $241,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 500,287 shares in the company, valued at $3,016,730.61. This trade represents a 8.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew A. Salem bought 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.04 per share, with a total value of $362,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 703,075 shares in the company, valued at $4,246,573. This trade represents a 9.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Up 4.1%

KREF stock opened at $7.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 407.64 and a current ratio of 407.64. The company has a market capitalization of $452.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.79 and a beta of 0.84. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $5.25 and a fifty-two week high of $9.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $6.43 and a 200-day moving average of $7.32.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.17). KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative return on equity of 0.78% and a negative net margin of 23.55%.The company had revenue of $20.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.76 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post -1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -21.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KREF shares. BTIG Research downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citizens Jmp downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.40.

About KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc (NYSE: KREF) is a mortgage real estate investment trust sponsored by KKR & Co Inc The company focuses on originating, acquiring, financing and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and real estate-related assets across the United States and select European markets.

The trust’s investment strategy is centered on lending to high-quality office, industrial, retail, multifamily and hotel properties. Its portfolio primarily consists of senior mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, floating-rate debt securities and preferred equity positions.