Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 7,040,000 shares, a decrease of 14.0% from the February 13th total of 8,190,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,390,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.1 days. Currently, 6.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Kilroy Realty from $48.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Kilroy Realty from $44.00 to $39.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Kilroy Realty from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $45.00 to $49.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $43.00 price objective (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Kilroy Realty in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered Kilroy Realty from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $43.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kilroy Realty currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $40.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kilroy Realty news, CEO Angela M. Aman acquired 2,797 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $35.45 per share, for a total transaction of $99,153.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,153.65. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KRC. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kilroy Realty during the fourth quarter valued at about $366,356,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kilroy Realty by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,862,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $196,680,000 after buying an additional 218,163 shares in the last quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd boosted its stake in Kilroy Realty by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 4,487,655 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $181,526,000 after buying an additional 500,635 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Kilroy Realty by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,265,387 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $132,087,000 after buying an additional 193,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Kilroy Realty by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,003,920 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $121,509,000 after buying an additional 680,870 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.22% of the company’s stock.

Kilroy Realty Stock Performance

NYSE KRC traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $34.54. The company had a trading volume of 703,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,089,364. Kilroy Realty has a fifty-two week low of $30.71 and a fifty-two week high of $43.78. The firm has a market cap of $4.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.21, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Kilroy Realty (NYSE:KRC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.17. Kilroy Realty had a return on equity of 3.75% and a net margin of 18.58%. Equities analysts predict that Kilroy Realty will post 4 EPS for the current year.

Kilroy Realty Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.54 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.25%. Kilroy Realty’s payout ratio is 122.03%.

Kilroy Realty Company Profile

Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the company, Kilroy) is a leading U.S. landlord and developer, with operations in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Seattle and Austin. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building operations, innovation and design.