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

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 21.1% in March to 13,167,135 shares as of March 31, representing 1.9% of the float and a days-to-cover ratio of 1.9.
• Notable insider buying: insiders acquired 393,872 shares worth about $40.09M in the last three months, including CEO Scott C. Nuttall (125,000 shares) and Director Matt Cohler (43,872 shares).
• Analyst view and valuation: KKR has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $138.07 price target; the stock trades near $102 with a market cap of about $91 billion and a P/E of 43.6.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in 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 days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Down 1.7%

KKR opened at $102.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $91.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.63, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.93. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.67 and a 52 week high of $153.87. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $94.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.91.

KKR & Co. Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on KKR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded KKR & Co. Inc. from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 25th. TD Cowen cut KKR & Co. Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $146.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded KKR & Co. Inc. from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays dropped their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $136.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on KKR & Co. Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $137.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, KKR & Co. Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.07.

Insider Transactions at KKR & Co. Inc.

In other news, Director Matt Cohler purchased 43,872 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $102.90 per share, for a total transaction of $4,514,428.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 45,477 shares in the company, valued at $4,679,583.30. This represents a 2,733.46% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Scott C. Nuttall purchased 125,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $102.66 per share, with a total value of $12,832,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,503,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,591,614,769.68. This represents a 0.81% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 393,872 shares of company stock worth $40,090,679. Corporate insiders own 23.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of KKR & Co. Inc.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ESL Trust Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the third quarter valued at $26,000. GGM Financials LLC acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in KKR & Co. Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.26% of the company's stock.

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.

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