Morgan Stanley Boosts KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) Price Target to $143.00

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) had its target price upped by Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $143.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded KKR & Co. Inc. to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. They issued a buy rating and a $148.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on KKR & Co. Inc. from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $141.00.

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:KKR opened at $135.59 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $123.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.38. The stock has a market cap of $120.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.62. KKR & Co. Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.72 and a twelve month high of $135.90.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The asset manager reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.20. KKR & Co. Inc. had a net margin of 17.99% and a return on equity of 5.05%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 3.97 EPS for the current year.

KKR & Co. Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.175 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. KKR & Co. Inc.’s payout ratio is 15.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other KKR & Co. Inc. news, major shareholder Kkr Group Partnership L.P. sold 2,554,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.85, for a total transaction of $48,155,039.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, major shareholder Genetic Disorder L.P. Kkr sold 5,800,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.75, for a total value of $149,350,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 25,260,971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $650,470,003.25. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Kkr Group Partnership L.P. sold 2,554,644 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.85, for a total transaction of $48,155,039.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 39.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in KKR & Co. Inc. by 13.1% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 769 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,658 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 7,715 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $812,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in KKR & Co. Inc. by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,231 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in KKR & Co. Inc. by 4.5% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,395 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.26% of the company’s stock.

KKR & Co. Inc. Company Profile

KKR & Co Inc is a private equity and real estate investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. It specializes in acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, credit special situations, growth equity, mature, mezzanine, distressed, turnaround, lower middle market and middle market investments.