KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.16.

Several brokerages recently commented on BEKE. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wall Street Zen raised KE from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group raised KE from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $22.10 to $23.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on KE from $25.80 to $24.80 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of KE in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KE

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of KE by 111,822,650.0% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 11,182,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,978,000 after buying an additional 11,182,265 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in KE by 3,203.0% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,002,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,769,000 after purchasing an additional 7,760,169 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in KE during the 4th quarter valued at about $130,167,000. Aspex Management HK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of KE in the 4th quarter valued at about $119,996,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of KE by 299.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 7,323,774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,135,000 after purchasing an additional 5,490,172 shares in the last quarter. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KE Stock Performance

Shares of BEKE opened at $18.56 on Monday. KE has a fifty-two week low of $12.92 and a fifty-two week high of $26.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.43 billion, a PE ratio of 37.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.76. The company’s fifty day moving average is $19.31 and its 200 day moving average is $19.45.

KE Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a — dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is an increase from KE’s previous — dividend of $0.17. This represents a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 9th. KE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.49%.

About KE

KE Holdings Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in operating an integrated online and offline platform for housing transactions and services in the People's Republic of China. It operates through four segments: Existing Home Transaction Services, New Home Transaction Services, Home Renovation and Furnishing, and Emerging and Other Services.