KKR & Co. Inc. $KKR Shares Acquired by MUFG Securities EMEA plc

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc more than doubled its KKR position in the fourth quarter, increasing its stake by 114.2% to 28,133 shares valued at about $3.6 million.
• KKR’s institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 76.26% of the stock; several firms also boosted their positions during the period.
• KKR raised its quarterly dividend and authorized buybacks, lifting the dividend to $0.195 per share and approving a $500 million share repurchase program, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy.”

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its position in KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Free Report) by 114.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,133 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 15,002 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. were worth $3,586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KKR. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 5.2% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,313,857 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $170,736,000 after buying an additional 65,178 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. by 5,405.9% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 144,970 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $18,839,000 after purchasing an additional 142,337 shares in the last quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd raised its holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. by 816.2% during the third quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 25,791 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 22,976 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its position in KKR & Co. Inc. by 63.2% in the third quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 98,983 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $12,862,000 after buying an additional 38,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas grew its position in KKR & Co. Inc. by 54.9% in the third quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 540,300 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $70,212,000 after buying an additional 191,600 shares during the last quarter. 76.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE KKR opened at $95.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $85.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.33, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.85. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $96.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.86. KKR & Co. Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.67 and a twelve month high of $153.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The asset manager reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.74 billion for the quarter. KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 5.42%. As a group, research analysts forecast that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.195 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This is an increase from KKR & Co. Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. KKR & Co. Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 26.53%.

KKR & Co. Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 5th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the asset manager to purchase up to 0.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on KKR shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $125.00 to $106.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $132.00 to $128.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $145.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KKR & Co. Inc. news, Director Timothy R. Barakett bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $94.47 per share, with a total value of $4,723,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 285,000 shares in the company, valued at $26,923,950. The trade was a 21.28% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 23.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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