Knife River (NYSE:KNF) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $73.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $81.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.74% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on KNF. Weiss Ratings upgraded Knife River from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research cut Knife River from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Knife River in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Knife River from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Knife River from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.00.

Knife River Stock Down 12.4%

NYSE KNF opened at $69.04 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $80.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.33. Knife River has a one year low of $58.72 and a one year high of $96.28. The firm has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 26.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Knife River (NYSE:KNF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.36). The business had revenue of $938.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $931.39 million. Knife River had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 4.58%.Knife River’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Knife River will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knife River

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. McMillan Office Inc. bought a new position in Knife River in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Knife River by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 567 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Knife River by 1,088.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knife River during the second quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Knife River by 198.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 806 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.11% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Knife River

Here are the key news stories impacting Knife River this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue increased 12.6% year over year to $938.6 million, exceeding the $931.4 million consensus estimate. The company also raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $3.4 billion-$3.6 billion, compared with its previous $3.3 billion-$3.5 billion range. Knife River Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings call and updated outlook will be watched for indications that infrastructure demand, backlog, and pricing can support the company’s full-year targets. Several analysts still maintain price targets well above the current trading level, but those targets may not offset near-term earnings concerns. Knife River Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $0.77 per share, below consensus estimates of approximately $1.11-$1.13 and down from $0.89 a year earlier. Net income fell 13% to $43.9 million, while net margin declined to 4.7% from 6.1%, signaling margin pressure despite higher sales. Knife River Q2 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded KNF from “strong buy” to “hold.” The downgrade, combined with investor caution around the quarterly update and elevated expectations for results near the upper end of guidance, is adding to selling pressure. Zacks

About Knife River

Knife River Corporation, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a leading integrated construction materials and contracting company in the western United States. The company specializes in producing and supplying aggregates, asphalt mix, ready-mixed concrete and other heavy construction materials used in highway, commercial and residential projects.

In addition to material production, Knife River offers a comprehensive suite of contracting services, including heavy civil construction, road building, underground and open-pit mining and logistics support.