KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) Shares Down 8.5% After Analyst Downgrade

Shares of KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) dropped 8.5% during trading on Monday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $168.00 to $125.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. KKR & Co. Inc. traded as low as $92.16 and last traded at $92.6140. Approximately 4,196,140 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 6,515,161 shares. The stock had previously closed at $101.18.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on KKR. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $190.00 to $187.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen lowered KKR & Co. Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $146.00 to $131.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays lowered their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $159.00 to $136.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 25th. Finally, HSBC raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $144.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.40.

Insider Transactions at KKR & Co. Inc.

In other news, CEO Joseph Y. Bae purchased 125,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $102.19 per share, with a total value of $12,773,750.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 509,257 shares in the company, valued at $52,040,972.83. This represents a 32.53% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy R. Barakett acquired 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $104.93 per share, for a total transaction of $5,246,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 235,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,658,550. The trade was a 27.03% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 343,872 shares of company stock valued at $35,367,179 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 39.34% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting KKR & Co. Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting KKR & Co. Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital initiated coverage with an “Outperform” rating and a $137 price target (≈43% upside vs. the current price), which is lifting sentiment and likely driving buying interest from investors. RBC Capital initiates coverage of KKR (KKR) with outperform recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: KKR agreed to buy a majority stake in XCL Education for $1.3 billion, signaling continued deal activity and expansion into education—a revenue-growth and diversification play that investors typically view favorably for long-term earnings potential. KKR to buy majority stake in XCL Education Holdings in $1.3 billion deal
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: traders bought ~8,120 call options (≈20% above typical call volume), indicating short-term bullish positioning by speculators or institutional players that can amplify upside intraday.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes KKR expanding across education, healthcare and infrastructure — strategic moves that support growth but coinciding commentary that shares are under pressure makes the news mixed in the near term. KKR Expands Across Education Healthcare And Infrastructure As Shares Face Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst attention on KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (KREF) is shifting; changes in analyst calls for KREF could affect investor perception of KKR’s real-estate-related businesses but are not a direct change to KKR’s core results. How The Story On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (KREF) Is Shifting With New Analyst Calls
• Negative Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target to $125, signaling some analyst caution; while the new target remains above the current price, the cut could temper further upward momentum if other firms follow. UBS Group Cuts KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) Price Target to $125.00

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in KKR & Co. Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $1,715,929,000. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $535,907,000. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $352,038,000. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $257,216,000. Finally, Close Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 4,155.1% in the 3rd quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,515,299 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $196,845,000 after acquiring an additional 1,479,688 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.26% of the company’s stock.

KKR & Co. Inc. Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a current ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.99.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.02). KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 11.97% and a return on equity of 5.77%. The company had revenue of $5.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 76.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.185 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $0.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. KKR & Co. Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.62%.

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.