Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stake in KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Free Report) by 174.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,929 shares of the asset manager's stock after buying an additional 19,670 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. were worth $4,575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KKR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $1,435,314,000. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $325,752,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 4,981.9% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,573,046 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $232,669,000 after buying an additional 1,542,092 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $218,918,000. Finally, Roberts Foundation acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $147,910,000. 76.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at KKR & Co. Inc.

In related news, major shareholder Genetic Disorder L.P. Kkr sold 6,000,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.20, for a total value of $205,200,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,260,971 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $453,525,208.20. This trade represents a 31.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert W. Scully bought 13,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $113.49 per share, with a total value of $1,503,742.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 13,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,503,742.50. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 39.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KKR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America cut their target price on KKR & Co. Inc. from $214.00 to $194.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Hsbc Global Res raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $129.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JMP Securities dropped their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded KKR & Co. Inc. from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $149.14.

KKR & Co. Inc. Price Performance

KKR stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $125.87. 2,478,794 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,009,642. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $111.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.77. The stock has a market cap of $111.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.91. KKR & Co. Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.15 and a fifty-two week high of $170.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a current ratio of 0.07.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.02. KKR & Co. Inc. had a return on equity of 6.20% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. KKR & Co. Inc.'s revenue was down 67.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be given a $0.185 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from KKR & Co. Inc.'s previous dividend of $0.17. KKR & Co. Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 31.22%.

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.