KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Price Target Lowered to $9.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) had its price objective trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $10.00 to $9.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on KREF. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.00 target price (down previously from $9.50) on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $8.25 to $8.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research lowered shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.00.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Trading Down 7.4%

Shares of NYSE:KREF opened at $7.30 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 423.43, a current ratio of 407.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $8.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.73. The company has a market cap of $468.92 million, a PE ratio of -6.95 and a beta of 0.88. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $7.22 and a fifty-two week high of $11.53.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last posted 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 net margin of 10.80% and a negative return on equity of 1.13%. The firm had revenue of $32.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.06 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.7%. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s payout ratio is currently -95.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ralph F. Rosenberg sold 125,289 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total transaction of $1,033,634.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KREF. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $5,212,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 368.5% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 536,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,701,000 after purchasing an additional 421,657 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 92.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 841,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,380,000 after purchasing an additional 403,660 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 186,687 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the third quarter valued at about $1,521,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.23% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $10 to $9 but kept an “overweight” rating, implying meaningful upside vs. the current share level — a supportive institutional view. Article
• Positive Sentiment: KKR’s Q4 call outlined a $1.5B repayment target and aggressive asset resolutions — moves that should strengthen the balance sheet and reduce credit risk over time. MSN: Repayment & Resolutions
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its target to $8 and rates KREF “market perform” — a muted view that signals steady but limited near-term upside. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: The Q4 2025 earnings call transcript/coverage shows revenue and EPS beats but continued negative margins and management’s evaluation of dividend policy — results that are mixed for income-focused investors. Earnings Call Transcript Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its target to $8 and set a “neutral” rating — a downgrade that removes a prior bullish catalyst and likely pressured shares. Article
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG moved from “buy” to “neutral” on KREF, reducing conviction from a prior buy recommendation. BTIG Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut KREF to a “strong sell,” a significant negative signal for sentiment and likely a contributor to intraday selling pressure. Zacks

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.