KE (NYSE:BEKE) Shares Down 2.5%

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) was down 2.5% on Monday . The company traded as low as $17.01 and last traded at $17.04. Approximately 1,869,191 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 8,367,980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.47.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on BEKE shares. HSBC cut their target price on KE from $23.90 to $21.80 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $21.10 target price on shares of KE in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th.

KE Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of -0.77.

KE (NYSE:BEKE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.66 billion. KE had a net margin of 7.62% and a return on equity of 9.19%. Analysts predict that KE Holdings Inc. will post 0.77 earnings per share for the current year.

KE Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 5th were issued a $0.351 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 4th. KE’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.93%.

Institutional Trading of KE

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KE by 90.4% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,569 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in KE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KE in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of KE by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 9,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in KE by 358.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 7,737 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.34% of the company’s stock.

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.