Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Sells 4,522 Shares of KKR & Co. Inc. $KKR

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC trimmed its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) by 64.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,453 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 4,522 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. were worth $319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. First Interstate Bank bought a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the second quarter worth $3,115,000. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its position in KKR & Co. Inc. by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 277,609 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $36,885,000 after buying an additional 10,960 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,145,391 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $152,371,000 after acquiring an additional 62,566 shares during the last quarter. Natixis increased its position in KKR & Co. Inc. by 48.1% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis now owns 154,537 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $20,558,000 after acquiring an additional 50,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 41.9% in the second quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 16,340 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,174,000 after acquiring an additional 4,823 shares during the last quarter. 76.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KKR opened at $134.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.06. KKR & Co. Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.15 and a fifty-two week high of $170.40. The company has a market capitalization of $120.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.09.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The asset manager reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.11. KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 13.84% and a return on equity of 6.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $0.185 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $0.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. KKR & Co. Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KKR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $166.00 to $164.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group assumed coverage on KKR & Co. Inc. in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $176.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on KKR & Co. Inc. from $170.00 to $166.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on KKR & Co. Inc. from $169.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.07.

About KKR & Co. Inc.

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.