Knife River rises 4.1% after saying it will report Q3 results on Nov. 3

What happened

Knife River (KNF) rose 4.1% on October 15, 2026, after the company said it would release third-quarter 2026 results before the NYSE opens on November 3, 2026. The stock opened 2.2% above the previous close and finished the session at $49.95, while the S&P 500 rose 0.3% on the day. Business Wire and GuruFocus reported the company announcement, which said a conference call and live webcast will follow at 11 a.m. EDT on November 3, 2026.

How big was the move

The stock’s one-day change was larger than both the market and its sector: it rose 4.1% on the day, compared with the Basic Materials sector median that rose 1.6%. The move was 2.5 percentage points better than the sector median and measured 1.3 times a typical daily move for this stock. Trading volume was 0.5 times its 20-day average. With those facts, the movement appears to have been a large, mostly company-specific reaction that came after the company’s announcement about its upcoming earnings release.

The technical picture

The stock remained below its key moving averages on October 15, 2026. It was 3.6% below its 20-day moving average and 14.8% below its 50-day moving average, while it was 33.8% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is below the 200-day average, a sign of a weak longer-term trend. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) stood at 39, in a neutral range between 30 and 70. The stock traded 48.1% below its 52-week high. Over one month the stock fell 10.2% and over three months it fell 38.9%.

Fundamentals and valuation

For the four quarters through June 30, 2026, Knife River reported revenue of $3.31 billion, which grew 12.1% from a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share for that period were $2.45, a figure that fell 8.9% from a year earlier. Gross margin was 17.9%, down slightly from 18.1% a year earlier, and operating margin was 8.4% versus 8.8% a year earlier. Free-cash-flow margin was 1.3% and return on invested capital was 5.4%. The balance sheet showed net debt of 3.7 times EBITDA, and share count over one year decreased by 0.4%.

Valuation metrics show the stock at 20.4 times trailing earnings and 18.5 times expected forward earnings, with a free-cash-flow yield of 1.5%. The price to trailing earnings reading is the lowest of the past five years, compared with a five-year median of 28.4 times earnings.

Earnings and analyst expectations

Knife River last reported on August 4, 2026, when it posted earnings per share of $0.77 against $1.13 expected, 31.9% below estimates. The company has recorded zero consecutive quarters beating estimates, although the average surprise over the last four reports was 2.2% above estimates. Typical two-day reactions after recent reports have seen the stock rise 0.2%. The next report is scheduled before the NYSE opens on November 3, 2026, with a conference call at 11 a.m. EDT and a live webcast.

What to watch

• Nov. 3, 2026: Knife River will release third-quarter 2026 financial results before the NYSE opens and hold a conference call at 11 a.m. EDT with a live webcast available.
• Analysts: consensus price target $71.40, 42.9% above the closing price; eight analysts cover the stock and the consensus rating is Buy.
• Valuation and cash flow: price to trailing earnings 20.4 times, price to forward earnings 18.5 times, free-cash-flow yield 1.5%.
• Technical trends: 20-day average 3.6% below the stock, 50-day average 14.8% below the stock, 200-day average 33.8% below the stock.
• Recent performance: one-year change fell 29.2% and the stock is 45.7 percentage points behind the S&P 500 over one year.