Heartland Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Knife River Corporation $KNF

Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF) by 33.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 60,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Knife River were worth $4,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Knife River by 141.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Knife River during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knife River during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Knife River in the second quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Knife River by 35.5% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Knife River from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Knife River from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Knife River from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday. B. Riley Financial assumed coverage on shares of Knife River in a report on Thursday, January 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $92.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised Knife River from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Knife River presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.67.

Key Knife River News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Knife River reported EPS of $0.56 vs. the $0.41 consensus and revenue of $755.1M (up 14.9% YoY), beating revenue estimates. This is the primary driver of the rally. Business Wire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY2026 top-line and margin targets — Management set 2026 revenue guidance of $3.3B–$3.5B and targeted $520M–$560M of adjusted EBITDA, giving investors a clearer earnings runway. Seeking Alpha: 2026 Guidance & Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Backlog and strategic progress — Management emphasized backlog-fueled momentum and progress on vertical integration (which can improve margins and mix if executed). Investors viewed the call highlights as supportive of sustained growth. TipRanks: Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction coverage — Several outlets noted the beat and guidance; headlines (e.g., Yahoo) quantified the stock move and summarized the catalysts without adding new fundamental details. Yahoo Finance: Stock Reaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimates — Street models expect Knife River to deliver multi-dollar EPS for FY2026 (consensus estimates are being updated after results); watch upcoming revisions. MarketBeat: Earnings & Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and valuation remain watchpoints — Q4 net margin (~4.9%) and ROE (~10%) are modest, and the shares trade at a relatively rich P/E (~36). Execution risk on integration and converting backlog to profit could cap upside if margins don’t improve.

Knife River Stock Performance

NYSE KNF opened at $93.99 on Wednesday. Knife River Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.72 and a 52-week high of $105.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.41. The company has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a PE ratio of 36.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.47.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.15. Knife River had a return on equity of 9.97% and a net margin of 4.87%.The firm had revenue of $755.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $726.60 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Knife River Corporation will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Knife River Company Profile

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.