KNF (Knife River) Debt-to-Equity: 0.95 (As of Mar. 2026) — 28% Above Median

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KNF Knife River Corp KNF
81 GF Score
Price $79.41
GF Value $86.56
Valuation Fairly Valued
! 1 Warning Sign
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What is Knife River Debt-to-Equity?

Knife River KNF +1.07% 81 Debt-to-Equity is 0.95 as of Mar. 2026, which is 28% above its 10-year median of 0.74. GuruFocus rates KNF with a GF Score™ of 81/100 and a GF Value™ of $86.56 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 367 Building Materials companies, Knife River ranks worse than 86.1% on this metric.

Knife River's Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $27 Mil. Knife River's Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $1,456 Mil. Knife River's Total Stockholders Equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $1,559 Mil. Knife River's debt to equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 0.95.

A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.

The historical rank and industry rank for Knife River's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:

KNF' s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.49   Med: 0.74   Max: 0.96
Current: 0.95

During the past 6 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Knife River was 0.96. The lowest was 0.49. And the median was 0.74.

KNF's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than
86.1% of 367 companies
in the Building Materials industry
Industry Median: 0.36 vs KNF: 0.95

Knife River  (NYSE:KNF) Debt-to-Equity Explanation

In the calculation of Debt to Equity, we use the total of Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation divided by Total Stockholders Equity. In some calculations, Total Liabilities is used to for calculation.


Be Aware

Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.


Knife River Debt-to-Equity Related Terms


Knife River Debt-to-Equity Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Knife River's Debt-to-Equity can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Knife River Debt-to-Equity Chart

Knife River Annual Data
Trend Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Debt-to-Equity
Get a 7-Day Free Trial 0.77 0.71 0.57 0.49 0.74

Knife River Quarterly Data
Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Debt-to-Equity Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.87 0.96 0.77 0.74 0.95

KNF vs TTAM, EXP, USLM: Debt-to-Equity Comparison

For the Building Materials subindustry, Knife River's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Knife River Debt-to-Equity vs Building Materials Industry

For the Building Materials industry and Basic Materials sector, Knife River's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Knife River's Debt-to-Equity falls into.


KNF
81GF Score
Knife River Corp KNF
Debt-to-Equity is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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Knife River Debt-to-Equity Calculation

Debt to Equity measures the financial leverage a company has.

Knife River's Debt to Equity Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as

Knife River's Debt to Equity Ratio for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Debt-to-Equity →
What does a Debt-to-Equity of 0.95 mean?
Knife River (KNF) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.95 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Knife River and its competitors. This is 28% above median its historical median of 0.74. Over the past decade, Knife River's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.49 to 0.96. According to the industry distribution chart, Knife River ranks #316 out of 367 companies in the Building Materials industry, placing it in the top 86.1%.
Is Knife River's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Knife River's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.95 is 28% above median its 10-year median of 0.74. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.49 to a high of 0.96. The Building Materials industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.36. Knife River's value of 0.95 is 163.9% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Knife River ranks #316 out of 367 companies in the Building Materials industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Knife River has a GF Score™ of 81/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Knife River's Debt-to-Equity compare to TTAM and EXP?
According to the Building Materials industry distribution chart, Knife River ranks #316 out of 367 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Knife River in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.36. Knife River's value of 0.95 is 163.9% above this benchmark. Historically, Knife River's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.49 to 0.96 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.74 vs. the industry median of 0.36, Knife River has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Building Materials company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Building Materials companies is 0.36, based on 367 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Knife River's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.95 is 163.9% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Knife River and its competitors. For the Building Materials industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.36 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Knife River's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.95, which is 28% above median its own 10-year median of 0.74. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Knife River stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Knife River (KNF) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $86.56, compared to a current price of $79.41 — trading 8.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.95, which is 28% above median its 10-year median of 0.74 and 163.9% above the Building Materials industry median of 0.36. Knife River's overall GF Score™ is 81/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Knife River (KNF), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.95 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Knife River (KNF) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Knife River stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $79.41 is trading 8.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of $86.56. GuruFocus considers Knife River to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for KNF:

  • Debt-to-Equity: 0.95 (28% above median its 10-year median of 0.74)
  • GF Value™: $86.56 vs. price of $79.41 (8.3% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 81/100 with 1 warning sign
  • Industry Position: 163.9% above the Building Materials median (#316 of 367)

No single metric tells the full story. See the KNF stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Knife River Business Description

Address 1150 West Century Avenue, P.O. Box 5568, Bismarck, ND, USA, 58506-5568
Knife River Corp is a people-first construction materials and contracting services company. It provides construction materials and contracting services to build safe roads, bridges, airport runways, and other critical infrastructure needs that connect people. The group is a provider of crushed stone, sand, and gravel in the United States. It operates through four reportable segments: West, Mountain, Central, and Energy Services.
81GF Score

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Debt-to-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$79.41
Price
$86.56
GF Value