KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 13,167,135 shares, an increase of 21.1% from the March 15th total of 10,874,540 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,902,850 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KKR & Co. Inc. news, CEO Joseph Y. Bae purchased 125,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $102.19 per share, with a total value of $12,773,750.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 509,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,040,972.83. This represents a 32.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Matt Cohler purchased 43,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $102.90 per share, for a total transaction of $4,514,428.80. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 45,477 shares in the company, valued at $4,679,583.30. The trade was a 2,733.46% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought a total of 393,872 shares of company stock valued at $40,090,679 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 23.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. GGM Financials LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 76.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

KKR & Co. Inc. stock opened at $102.10 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $94.37 and its 200-day moving average is $113.91. The company has a market cap of $91.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.07. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.67 and a 12 month high of $153.87.

KKR & Co. Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.185 dividend. This represents a $0.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. KKR & Co. Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KKR. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $135.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $145.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays decreased their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $136.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $187.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $125.00 to $106.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, KKR & Co. Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.07.

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.