JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Stock Price

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $8.50 to $8.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.66% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.25 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research lowered KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.00.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Stock Down 7.4%

Shares of KREF traded down $0.59 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $7.30. 3,310,514 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 970,513. The company has a market cap of $477.74 million, a PE ratio of -6.95 and a beta of 0.88. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a 52 week low of $7.22 and a 52 week high of $11.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63, a current ratio of 423.43 and a quick ratio of 423.43.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.08. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative return on equity of 1.11% and a negative net margin of 10.80%.The company had revenue of $32.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.06 million. On average, research analysts forecast that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In related news, Director Christen E.J. Lee purchased 10,000 shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $7.80 per share, with a total value of $78,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 229,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,787,237.40. This represents a 4.56% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ralph F. Rosenberg sold 125,289 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total value of $1,033,634.25. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KREF. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 100.0% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 742.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,658 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 3,904.6% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 4,256 shares during the period. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 64.1% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 2,238 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KKR Real Estate Finance Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results beat consensus (EPS $0.22 vs. ~$0.14) and revenue topped estimates, which provides some fundamental support and shows operating resilience. Business Wire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $1.5B repayment target and aggressive asset resolutions and is evaluating its dividend strategy — actions that could reduce leverage and improve credit profile if executed, supporting long-term valuation. MSN/Yahoo: Repayment and dividend story
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for investors to assess details on portfolio performance, asset resolutions and capital plans — useful for due diligence but not immediately market-moving by itself. Seeking Alpha: Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $10 to $9 but kept an “overweight” rating — still signaling upside relative to current levels, though the lower PT reduces near-term enthusiasm. Benzinga: Wells Fargo PT
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target to $8.00 and assigned a “market perform” rating, removing some upside expectations. Benzinga: Keefe PT
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG downgraded KREF from buy to neutral (more recent coverage reversed an earlier reaffirmation), which likely contributed to selling pressure from funds that track analyst sentiment. The Fly: BTIG downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks moved its rating from “hold” to “strong sell” — a sharp negative signal that likely triggered additional outflows and weighed on the share price. Zacks: Rating change

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Company Profile

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.