Short Interest in KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) Drops By 18.5%

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 8,759,981 shares, a decline of 18.5% from the January 29th total of 10,752,397 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 10,752,408 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 10,752,408 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 1.6% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KKR & Co. Inc. news, CEO Scott C. Nuttall purchased 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $102.66 per share, for a total transaction of $12,832,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,503,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,591,614,769.68. This represents a 0.81% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Timothy R. Barakett purchased 50,000 shares of KKR & Co. Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $104.93 per share, for a total transaction of $5,246,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 235,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,658,550. This represents a 27.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders bought 343,872 shares of company stock valued at $35,367,179. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,715,929,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $535,907,000. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the third quarter worth about $352,038,000. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $257,216,000. Finally, Close Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 4,155.1% during the third quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,515,299 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $196,845,000 after acquiring an additional 1,479,688 shares during the period. 76.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KKR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $144.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group cut their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $168.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 20th. TD Cowen lowered KKR & Co. Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $146.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on KKR & Co. Inc. in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $137.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.80.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:KKR traded up $0.70 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $94.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,682,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,669,803. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $84.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.40, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 2.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $114.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $124.34. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.52 and a 12-month high of $153.87.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 5.57%. KKR & Co. Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 76.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.185 per share. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. KKR & Co. Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.62%.

KKR & Co. Inc. Company Profile

KKR & Co Inc is a global investment firm headquartered in New York City that specializes in private markets and alternative asset management. Founded in 1976 by Jerome Kohlberg Jr., Henry Kravis and George R. Roberts, the firm built its reputation in leveraged buyouts and has since expanded into a multi-strategy asset manager. KKR operates across private equity, credit, real assets (including real estate and infrastructure), growth equity and hedge fund strategies, offering a range of investment products and strategies for institutional and private investors.

KKR manages capital through traditional closed-end funds as well as customized vehicles such as separate accounts, co-investments, and listed investment vehicles.