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Knife River Corporation

KNF · NYSE

Market closed$81.71$-1.87 (-2.24%)After hours $83.47 · +2.15%

Key statistics

Previous close$83.58
Open$81.80
Day high$83.97
Day low$81.63
52-week high$96.28
52-week low$58.72
Market cap4.64B
Volume373.70K
Average volume548.55K
P/E ratio31.79
Forward P/E—
EPS2.57
Dividend yield0.00%

Market context

Why it moved

Knife River (KNF) shares declined following the release of its Q2 2026 earnings report, which appears to have disappointed investors and triggered broad selling pressure.

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What is happening

Recent company-specific developments and publisher coverage.

July 18, 2026Knife River Corporation closed down 2.24%, underperforming both the Basic Materials sector (XLB) and broader market, as investors await its Q2 2026 earnings release scheduled for August 4. The pullback comes amid a broader risk-off session driven by escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and AI-related concerns, while the company continues its acquisition-led growth strategy — completing its third Mountain Segment deal in 2026 with the Donaldson Brothers Ready Mix purchase in Montana. In after-hours trading, shares rebounded roughly 2.15%, partially recovering the session's losses.

-2.2374

July 17, 2026Knife River Corporation closed modestly higher, outperforming the broader S&P 500 (which slipped 0.51%), as investors responded to the company's announcement of its Q2 2026 earnings conference call scheduled for August 4. Sentiment was also supported by Knife River's continued M&A momentum—completing its third acquisition in the Mountain Segment this year with the purchase of Donaldson Brothers Ready Mix in Montana—while the Basic Materials sector benefits from an expected 44.6% Q2 earnings growth forecast and cooling inflation data raising rate-cut hopes.

1.5676

July 16, 2026Knife River Corporation rose nearly 3% after announcing it will report second-quarter 2026 results in a morning release ahead of a scheduled conference call, sparking earnings anticipation among investors. The move outpaced the broader materials sector (XLB essentially flat in after-hours) and aligned with constructive sentiment across construction aggregates peers, as fellow aggregates giant Vulcan Materials also scheduled its Q2 earnings call for July 29 — reinforcing investor focus on infrastructure demand trends heading into the heart of construction season.

2.7854

July 15, 2026Knife River Corporation gained over 2% in regular trading and extended those gains into after-hours, with shares climbing to $81.65 — outperforming both the broader S&P 500 and the Materials sector ETF (XLB), which edged only modestly higher. The construction materials company is benefiting from positive sector momentum, as Q1 home construction materials earnings broadly beat estimates and group share prices averaged 6.7% gains post-results. A favorable June CPI print — headline inflation falling to 3.5%, its largest monthly decline since April 2020 — helped lift construction-linked stocks, as easing price pressures support the case for infrastructure and homebuilding activity.

2.1043

July 14, 2026Knife River Corporation closed down sharply, pressured by a broad selloff in basic materials as geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran rattled markets, sent oil prices surging over 4%, and sparked risk-off sentiment across cyclical sectors. The XLB materials ETF also declined on the day as Morningstar noted most of the sector is fairly valued or overvalued heading into Q3, while infrastructure-linked construction materials stocks like Knife River face a mixed backdrop of steady long-term demand from IIJA spending and data center buildout offset by persistent cost inflation, weak residential construction, and macro uncertainty ahead of a key earnings season.

-3.305

July 11, 2026Knife River Corporation shares rallied, rebounding from recent weakness tied to geopolitical headwinds that had pressured the broader construction materials space. A Seeking Alpha analysis published July 9 argued KNF's underperformance represents a buying opportunity, citing robust revenue growth and an expanding project backlog. The recovery came as a Zacks report highlighted concrete and aggregates stocks as positioned to benefit from steady 2026 infrastructure spending, while the broader S&P 500 rose 0.42% on the day. The XLB materials sector ETF lagged, consistent with Morningstar data showing basic materials underperformed the broader market in Q2.

3.55

July 10, 2026Knife River Corporation declined amid broad weakness in building materials stocks, as renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities drove oil sharply higher, raising input and freight cost concerns for energy-intensive aggregates and asphalt producers. Despite the macro headwind, a Seeking Alpha analysis highlighted KNF's robust revenue growth and expanding backlog as a buying opportunity, while Wells Fargo nudged its price target slightly higher to $81 — though it maintained an Underweight rating. Shares recovered modestly in after-hours trading, rising roughly 1.25%, outpacing the XLB materials ETF's 0.38% after-hours gain.

-1.6453

July 8, 2026Knife River Corporation closed down 2.35% as a broad risk-off session hit construction materials stocks hard, driven by President Trump declaring the U.S.-Iran ceasefire MOU 'over' and threatening further strikes — sending oil prices surging over 5% and stoking inflation fears. The geopolitical flare-up weighed heavily on construction-related names, with peers like CRH also declining, while Wells Fargo maintained an Underweight rating on Knife River with a modestly raised price target of $81 — still near current levels — offering little near-term upside catalyst.

-2.3547

scanx.trade · July 15, 2026Knife River schedules Q2FY26 results conference call for Aug. 4Business Wire · July 15, 2026Knife River Corporation Announces Timing of Second Quarter 2026 Results Conference CallStock Titan · July 15, 2026Knife River Schedules Morning Release of Second-Quarter ResultsKBND · July 12, 2026Knife River LawsuitSeeking Alpha · July 9, 2026Knife River Corporation's Underperformance Represents A Buying Opportunity (NYSE:KNF)Moomoo · July 8, 2026Wells Fargo Maintains Knife River(KNF.US) With Sell Rating, Raises Target Price to $81Investing.com · May 11, 2026Knife River Q1 2026 presentation shows volume surge, margin gainsBusiness Wire · May 5, 2026Knife River Corporation Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Benzinga · July 8, 2026Wells Fargo Maintains Underweight on Knife River, Raises Price Target to $81
Benzinga · June 30, 2026RBC Capital Maintains Outperform on Knife River, Lowers Price Target to $107
Mt Newswire · June 30, 2026RBC Trims Price Target on Knife River to $107 From $109, Keeps Outperform Rating
Benzinga · May 28, 2026Oppenheimer Assumes Knife River at Outperform, Announces Price Target of $95
Mt Newswire · May 28, 2026Oppenheimer Adjusts Price Target on Knife River to $95 From $100, Maintains Outperform Rating
Benzinga · May 6, 2026JP Morgan Maintains Neutral on Knife River, Raises Price Target to $95
Benzinga · May 5, 2026Knife River Holding Q1 2026 Earnings Call: Complete Transcript
Mt Newswire · May 5, 2026Earnings Flash (KNF) Knife River Corporation Reports Q1 Revenue $410.1M, vs. FactSet Est of $387.1M

Peers

S&P 500SPX · $7,457.69-1.01%Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.MLM · $562.59-2.49%Vulcan Materials CompanyVMC · $288.33-1.75%Eagle Materials Inc.EXP · $205.93-3.77%United States Lime & Minerals, Inc.USLM · $104.97-3.76%CRH plcCRH · $102.92-2.53%MDU Resources Group, Inc.MDU · $21.14+0.05%Heidelberg Materials AGHDLMY · $39.67+0.33%Loma Negra Compañía Industrial Argentina Sociedad AnónimaLOMA · $11.25-0.79%Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A.CPAC · $11.70-0.17%Buzzi S.p.A.BZU.MI · €42.38-3.24%Granite Construction IncorporatedGVA · $124.03-1.27%