ING Groep NV Boosts Stake in KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR)

Key Points

• ING Groep NV increased its stake in KKR & Co. Inc. by 20.5%, owning 20,429 shares valued at $2.36 million after acquiring an additional 3,479 shares in the first quarter.
• KKR & Co. Inc. recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.185 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.5% and an increase from the previous dividend of $0.18.
• Research analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for KKR shares, with a price target of $157.73.

ING Groep NV raised its position in KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Free Report) by 20.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,429 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 3,479 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV's holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. were worth $2,362,000 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 business. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in KKR & Co. Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 360 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 76.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

KKR & Co. Inc. Trading Down 1.7%

KKR & Co. Inc. stock opened at $142.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $134.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.12. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 52 week low of $86.15 and a 52 week high of $170.40. The stock has a market cap of $127.07 billion, a PE ratio of 66.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The asset manager reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 12.95% and a return on equity of 6.42%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.185 per share. This represents a $0.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from KKR & Co. Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. KKR & Co. Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Henry R. Kravis sold 1,150,469 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.80, for a total transaction of $137,826,186.20. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 73,006,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,746,121,435.60. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Genetic Disorder L.P. Kkr sold 6,000,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.20, for a total value of $205,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,260,971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $453,525,208.20. The trade was a 31.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,471,488 shares of company stock worth $501,529,092. 39.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on KKR & Co. Inc. from $149.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $183.00 to $126.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $157.73.

About KKR & Co. Inc.

KKR & Co, Inc operates as an investment firm. It offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. The firm's business segments include Asset Management and Insurance Business. The Asset Management segment engages in providing private equity, real assets, credit and liquid strategies, capital markets, and principal activities.

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