KE Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:BEKE)

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 21,284 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 81% compared to the typical daily volume of 11,738 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $21.10 price objective on shares of KE in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of KE from $23.90 to $21.80 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 15th.

KE Trading Up 7.4 %

BEKE stock opened at $14.83 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of -0.73. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.56. KE has a twelve month low of $12.44 and a twelve month high of $19.95.

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

KE Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th were given a dividend of $0.351 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.2%. KE’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KE

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of KE by 90.4% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,569 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of KE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of KE during the fourth quarter worth approximately $123,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of KE by 11.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 9,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of KE by 358.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 7,737 shares during the last quarter. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.