Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Knife River (NYSE:KNF) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently commented on KNF. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Knife River in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of 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 cut their price objective on shares of Knife River from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Knife River from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Knife River from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Knife River presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.14.

Knife River Trading Down 12.4%

KNF stock opened at $69.04 on Monday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.33. Knife River has a one year low of $58.72 and a one year high of $96.28. The stock has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.42.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $938.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.39 million. Knife River had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 9.35%. Knife River’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Knife River will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knife River

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Knife River by 284.9% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 4,730 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Knife River in the 1st quarter valued at about $424,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Knife River by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 227,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,529,000 after purchasing an additional 32,762 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Knife River by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,101,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,542,000 after purchasing an additional 12,308 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Knife River by 71.0% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 354,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,971,000 after purchasing an additional 147,387 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Knife River

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.