Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 55,050 Shares of KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE)

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 535,089 shares of the company’s stock after selling 55,050 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in KE were worth $9,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BEKE. TT International Asset Management LTD bought a new position in shares of KE during the fourth quarter worth about $717,000. Headwater Capital Co Ltd bought a new position in KE during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,052,000. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 62,300 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of KE by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 169,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,113,000 after purchasing an additional 60,000 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of KE in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,033,000. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KE Price Performance

Shares of KE stock opened at $17.50 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.01. KE Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $12.49 and a one year high of $26.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.73.

KE Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from KE’s previous — dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. KE’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on BEKE. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group downgraded KE from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $22.70 to $24.50 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed 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 issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.26.

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.