KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) Upgraded to Moderate Buy at Royal Bank Of Canada

Posted by Grant Hamersma on Feb 25th, 2026

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR – Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen cut shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $146.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $159.00 to $136.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of KKR & Co. Inc. from $190.00 to $187.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised KKR & Co. Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.40.

View Our Latest Research Report on KKR

KKR & Co. Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE KKR opened at $95.69 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.43. The company has a market capitalization of $85.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.90, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.99. KKR & Co. Inc. has a 1-year low of $86.15 and a 1-year high of $153.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.09.

KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by ($0.02). KKR & Co. Inc. had a return on equity of 5.77% and a net margin of 11.97%.The firm had revenue of $5.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 76.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that KKR & Co. Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Timothy R. Barakett bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $104.93 per share, with a total value of $5,246,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 235,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,658,550. The trade was a 27.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Joseph Y. Bae purchased 125,000 shares of KKR & Co. Inc. stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $102.19 per share, for a total transaction of $12,773,750.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 509,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,040,972.83. This trade represents a 32.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought a total of 343,872 shares of company stock valued at $35,367,179 over the last quarter. Insiders own 39.34% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KKR & Co. Inc.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Covenant Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 1,424.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC now owns 29,826 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,876,000 after buying an additional 27,870 shares during the period. Cumberland Partners Ltd raised its holdings in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 816.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 25,791 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 22,976 shares during the period. Allen Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 165.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allen Investment Management LLC now owns 247,375 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $32,146,000 after purchasing an additional 154,009 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,219,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of KKR & Co. Inc. by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,242,848 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $7,698,608,000 after purchasing an additional 585,893 shares during the period. 76.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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

KKR & Co. Inc. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.