Vanguard Group Inc. Has $6.65 Billion Position in KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has increased its holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. by 1.5% in the first quarter, owning approximately 6.48% of the company, valued at about $6.65 billion.
• Several institutional investors, including Jennison Associates LLC and Nuveen Asset Management LLC, have also significantly boosted their positions in KKR's stock, reflecting strong interest from large investors.
• KKR recently declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.185 per share, indicating a commitment to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining a dividend payout ratio of 34.42%.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,557,692 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 870,176 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 6.48% of KKR & Co. Inc. worth $6,654,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 44.6% during the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 360 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 76.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

KKR & Co. Inc. Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of KKR stock traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $142.82. 2,163,488 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,545,484. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 1-year low of $86.15 and a 1-year high of $170.40. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $135.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.20 billion, a PE ratio of 66.43, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.87.

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

KKR & Co. Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued 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 payout ratio is currently 34.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on KKR shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in a research note on Monday, June 30th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citizens Jmp lowered shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $155.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, KKR & Co. Inc. has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman George R. Roberts sold 809,906 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.25, for a total transaction of $116,828,940.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 81,361,978 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,736,465,326.50. This trade represents a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy R. Barakett purchased 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $117.92 per share, with a total value of $4,127,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 185,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,815,200. This trade represents a 23.33% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,281,394 shares of company stock worth $618,358,033 over the last three months. 39.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

KKR & Co. Inc. Company Profile

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.