Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

by · The Markets Daily

Knife River Corporation (NYSE:KNF – Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $69.16, but opened at $73.67. Knife River shares last traded at $74.54, with a volume of 10,303 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Knife River from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Knife River from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. UBS Group raised Knife River to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Knife River from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Knife River from $81.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.71.

View Our Latest Analysis on Knife River

Knife River Stock Up 3.3%

The firm has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.89, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $74.75 and a 200 day moving average of $75.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.45 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.22 billion. Knife River had a return on equity of 9.97% and a net margin of 4.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Knife River Corporation will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knife River

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KNF. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Knife River by 141.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Country Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Knife River in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Knife River in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Knife River during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Knife River by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 685 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. 80.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Knife River

(Get Free Report)

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.

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