Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Lowers Position in KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership decreased its holdings in shares of KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,503,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 812,819 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in KE were worth $64,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. TT International Asset Management LTD purchased a new stake in shares of KE during the 4th quarter worth $717,000. XTX Topco Ltd increased its holdings in KE by 324.8% in the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 117,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,345,000 after buying an additional 90,054 shares in the last quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of KE during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,052,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of KE during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,540,000. Finally, ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC grew its holdings in shares of KE by 284.5% in the 4th quarter. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC now owns 84,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 62,300 shares during the period. 39.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BEKE. UBS Group cut KE from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $22.70 to $24.50 in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of KE in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KE currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.26.

KE Price Performance

KE stock opened at $21.22 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $20.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.82. KE Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.49 and a 12-month high of $26.05.

KE Increases Dividend

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

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.