Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Upgraded to Equal Weight at Wells Fargo & Company

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $73.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $81.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 5.74% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Knife River from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Knife River from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Knife River from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Knife River from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Knife River in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.00.

Knife River Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KNF opened at $69.04 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of $80.38 and a 200-day moving average of $81.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.86, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.42. Knife River has a fifty-two week low of $58.72 and a fifty-two week high of $96.28.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.36). Knife River had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 4.58%.The company had revenue of $938.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.39 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Knife River will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Knife River

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Knife River by 184.3% during the 4th quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 36,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,586,000 after acquiring an additional 23,764 shares during the last quarter. Paradice Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Knife River during the 4th quarter valued at $22,001,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Knife River by 111.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 63,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,648,000 after purchasing an additional 33,698 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Knife River by 30.8% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 578,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,664,000 after purchasing an additional 135,982 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in Knife River by 87.8% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 255,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,978,000 after purchasing an additional 119,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Knife River News

Here are the key news stories impacting Knife River this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue increased 12.6% year over year to $938.6 million, exceeding the $931.4 million consensus estimate. The company also raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $3.4 billion-$3.6 billion, compared with its previous $3.3 billion-$3.5 billion range. Knife River Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings call and updated outlook will be watched for indications that infrastructure demand, backlog, and pricing can support the company’s full-year targets. Several analysts still maintain price targets well above the current trading level, but those targets may not offset near-term earnings concerns. Knife River Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $0.77 per share, below consensus estimates of approximately $1.11-$1.13 and down from $0.89 a year earlier. Net income fell 13% to $43.9 million, while net margin declined to 4.7% from 6.1%, signaling margin pressure despite higher sales. Knife River Q2 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded KNF from “strong buy” to “hold.” The downgrade, combined with investor caution around the quarterly update and elevated expectations for results near the upper end of guidance, is adding to selling pressure. Zacks

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.