DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) Stock

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) had its target price hoisted by analysts at DA Davidson from $25.00 to $26.00 in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. DA Davidson’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 19.03% from the company’s previous close.

KEY has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial lowered their price target on KeyCorp from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Stephens lifted their target price on KeyCorp from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Evercore reduced their price target on KeyCorp from $26.00 to $24.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of KeyCorp in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on KeyCorp from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, KeyCorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $23.13.

KeyCorp Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:KEY opened at $21.84 on Friday. KeyCorp has a 52-week low of $13.68 and a 52-week high of $23.34. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.07.

KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. KeyCorp had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 10.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.38 earnings per share. Analysts expect that KeyCorp will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrew J. Paine III sold 65,961 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $1,532,274.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 166,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,869,723.09. This represents a 28.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Angela G. Mago sold 62,850 shares of KeyCorp stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.55, for a total value of $1,354,417.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 261,415 shares in the company, valued at $5,633,493.25. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 161,506 shares of company stock worth $3,597,481 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KeyCorp

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of KeyCorp by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 124,811,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,576,110,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192,323 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of KeyCorp by 90.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 36,370,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $679,768,000 after buying an additional 17,245,128 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in KeyCorp by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,983,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $493,048,000 after acquiring an additional 115,968 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of KeyCorp by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,027,471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $434,007,000 after acquiring an additional 238,514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of KeyCorp by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,567,184 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $424,507,000 after purchasing an additional 916,732 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.69% of the company’s stock.

Key KeyCorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting KeyCorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and core operating strength — Key reported $0.44 EPS vs. $0.41 expected, revenue $1.95B (+10% YoY), net interest income +11% YoY and quarter-end loans up $2.6B; management repurchased $389M in the quarter. KEYCORP REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 NET INCOME
• Positive Sentiment: Aggressive buyback signal — management signaled at least $1.3B of 2026 share repurchases and emphasized capital returns as a priority, supporting EPS leverage and shareholder returns. KeyCorp signals at least $1.3B of 2026 buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Credit quality remains solid — nonperforming assets and net charge-offs stayed low and CET1 capital (~11.4%) provides headroom for buybacks and lending growth. KeyCorp Q1 results and metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Management tone mixed — earnings call conveyed cautious optimism: solid execution but awareness of market risk and a plan to manage margin and capital; analysts are watching guidance and margin targets. KeyCorp Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Net interest margin disappointed some investors — NIM of ~2.87% was viewed as short of some expectations and is a key driver for future earnings sensitivity. Net interest margin falls short
• Negative Sentiment: Fee income outlook and M&A pressures — management warned market disruptions could dampen investment banking and M&A fees, which could reduce noninterest income if deal activity stalls. Uncertainty expected to hit M&A fees
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term share reaction mixed — despite the quarter beat, some reports note shares dipped on guidance/margin concerns as investors weighed near-term headwinds vs. buybacks. Shares dip on guidance concerns

KeyCorp Company Profile

KeyCorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that operates through its primary banking subsidiary, KeyBank. It provides a broad range of banking and financial services to individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies and large corporations. KeyBank’s offerings span traditional deposit and lending products as well as more specialized financial solutions designed for commercial and institutional clients.

The company’s product and service mix includes retail banking products such as checking and savings accounts, consumer and residential mortgage lending, and auto financing.