Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 20,407 KKR & Co. Inc. $KKR

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 20,407 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $1,873,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KKR. Norges Bank bought a new position in KKR & Co. Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $1,715,929,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $470,778,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $298,311,000. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $352,038,000. Finally, Temasek Holdings Private Ltd increased its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 164.4% in the 1st quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 3,522,797 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $325,859,000 after acquiring an additional 2,190,248 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.26% of the company’s stock.

KKR & Co. Inc. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of KKR stock opened at $108.74 on Friday. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.67 and a 12-month high of $152.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $101.16 and its 200 day moving average is $97.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.78.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The asset manager reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. KKR & Co. Inc. had a return on equity of 5.88% and a net margin of 14.41%.The company had revenue of $5.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR & Co. Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the asset manager to repurchase up to 0.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

KKR & Co. Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.195 per share. This represents a $0.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. KKR & Co. Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.84%.

Key Stories Impacting KKR & Co. Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting KKR & Co. Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong analyst price-target increase: Oppenheimer raised its KKR price target from $139 to $166 and reiterated an “outperform” rating, implying substantial upside from recent levels. Benzinga analyst rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion in private aviation infrastructure: Apollo-managed funds acquired a significant interest in Atlantic Aviation, while KKR-managed funds remain a substantial shareholder. The partnership could support Atlantic Aviation’s growth and preserve KKR’s exposure to a potentially attractive infrastructure platform. Apollo Funds and KKR Announce Strategic Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: New infrastructure investment: KKR and Apollo are partnering with Enbridge on approximately C$2.7 billion of expansions to the Westcoast natural-gas pipeline system in British Columbia, expanding KKR’s exposure to energy infrastructure and long-term contracted assets. Enbridge, KKR form joint venture
• Positive Sentiment: AI data-center exposure: KKR is investing in SK Telecom’s newly launched SK Horizon, an AI data-center infrastructure company. The deal gives KKR participation in the expanding demand for data-center capacity and digital infrastructure. SK Horizon investment announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Antitrust case resolution: KKR agreed to a stipulation and order with the U.S. Department of Justice, potentially removing some uncertainty, although the settlement also highlights ongoing regulatory and legal risks. KKR reaches settlement in DOJ antitrust case
• Neutral Sentiment: Fixed-income appeal: An analysis described KKR’s “baby bonds” as offering potential capital appreciation, but this is an investment view on the company’s debt securities rather than a direct earnings catalyst for common stock. KKR baby bonds analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Reported fraud investigation: A law firm is seeking KKR investors to participate in a fraud investigation, creating potential litigation, reputational, and financial risks. The notice does not establish wrongdoing, but it may weigh on sentiment. KKR investor fraud investigation notice

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KKR has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $153.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Argus raised their target price on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays upped their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $124.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on KKR & Co. Inc. from $113.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on KKR & Co. Inc. from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.00.

KKR & Co. Inc. 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.