KE Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BEKE)

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 75,148 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 245% compared to the average volume of 21,762 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BEKE. Citigroup began coverage on KE in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $23.80 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on KE from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.90.

KE Stock Performance

KE stock opened at $19.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $17.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 47.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of -0.71. KE has a one year low of $12.44 and a one year high of $26.05.

KE (NYSE:BEKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 12th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $2.06. KE had a return on equity of 6.74% and a net margin of 5.32%. The firm had revenue of $23.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.17 EPS. KE’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that KE will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KE

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of KE by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,363,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,734,000 after acquiring an additional 4,736,152 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of KE by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,666,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,373,000 after acquiring an additional 804,773 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new stake in shares of KE in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $135,880,000. Turiya Advisors Asia Ltd increased its holdings in shares of KE by 56.2% in the 2nd quarter. Turiya Advisors Asia Ltd now owns 5,070,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,824,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RWC Asset Advisors US LLC bought a new stake in shares of KE in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $70,807,000. 39.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.