KE (NYSE:BEKE) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $20.98, but opened at $18.99. KE shares last traded at $19.44, with a volume of 1,445,645 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of KE in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of KE from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $22.70 to $24.50 in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.26.

KE Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $23.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.73. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $20.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.94.

KE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This is an increase from KE’s previous — dividend of $0.17. KE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in KE in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in KE in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in KE by 411.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of KE by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 4,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 1,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of KE in the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000. Institutional investors own 39.34% of the company’s stock.

KE Company Profile

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.