KKR & Co. Inc. Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:KKR)

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 8,120 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 20% compared to the typical volume of 6,762 call options.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KKR traded up $3.50 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $95.69. 4,046,410 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,776,949. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $85.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.91, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.99. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.15 and a 1 year high of $153.87.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) last announced its 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). KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 5.77%. The company had revenue of $5.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 76.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.185 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $0.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. KKR & Co. Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KKR & Co. Inc. news, CEO Joseph Y. Bae purchased 125,000 shares of KKR & Co. Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $102.19 per share, with a total value of $12,773,750.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 509,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,040,972.83. This trade represents a 32.53% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Matt Cohler bought 43,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $102.90 per share, for a total transaction of $4,514,428.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 45,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,679,583.30. This represents a 2,733.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 343,872 shares of company stock worth $35,367,179 in the last 90 days. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KKR. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. GGM Financials LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in KKR & Co. Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KKR shares. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on KKR & Co. Inc. in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $137.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 25th. Weiss Ratings raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen lowered KKR & Co. Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $146.00 to $131.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $144.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.40.

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.