Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on KE (NYSE:BEKE)

KE Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BEKE) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 36,331 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 144% compared to the average volume of 14,864 call options.

KE Stock Performance

KE stock traded down $1.70 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $17.86. 6,709,206 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,668,203. The firm has a market cap of $21.59 billion, a PE ratio of 36.19, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of -0.73. KE has a 52 week low of $12.49 and a 52 week high of $26.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $20.72 and its 200-day moving average is $19.98.

KE Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a — dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from KE’s previous — dividend of $0.17. KE’s payout ratio is presently 64.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on KE from $19.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. UBS Group downgraded KE from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $22.70 to $24.50 in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of KE in a research report 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.26.

Institutional Trading of KE

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BEKE. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in KE by 111,822,650.0% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 11,182,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,978,000 after acquiring an additional 11,182,265 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in KE in the 4th quarter worth approximately $130,167,000. Aspex Management HK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of KE in the fourth quarter worth $119,996,000. H Capital V GP L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of KE during the fourth quarter valued at $91,147,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in KE by 504.2% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 5,643,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,949,000 after acquiring an additional 4,709,266 shares during the period. 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.