KKR beats estimates with flat second-quarter earnings

[August 04, 2020]  By Chibuike Oguh

(Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm KKR & Co Inc <KKR.N> said on Tuesday that its second-quarter distributable earnings were flat year-on-year, beating many analysts' expectations amid a rise in management and performance fees.

KKR said after-tax distributable earnings (DE) of $326 million was in line with the $327 million posted a year earlier. This translated to after-tax DE per share of 39 cents, which was greater than the 33 cents that Wall Street analysts estimated on average, according to Refinitiv.

Following similar announcements by its peers, KKR said the value of its funds rebounded alongside the recovery of financial markets from a slump caused by the spread of the coronavirus, allowing investment income to rise 37% to $1.58 billion.

KKR's private equity funds rose 11% in the second quarter, while global infrastructure and real estate funds rose 7% and 2% respectively. Its leverage credit funds rose 11%.

Last month, Blackstone Group Inc <BX.N> said its private equity portfolio rose 12.8% in the second quarter, while Carlyle Group Inc <CG.O> and Apollo Global Management Inc <APO.N> reported that their private equity funds grew 13% and 11.7% respectively.

Under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), KKR said its net income rose 36% year-on-year to $698.6 million in the second quarter owing to the appreciation of its funds.

The New York-based firm said its performance fee income rose 52% to $355.4 million, as it completed asset sales including the 2.8 billion euros ($3.03 billion) divestment of German fiber-optic network company Deutsche Glasfaser to private equity firm EQT and Canadian pension fund OMERS.

KKR said its total asset management was $222 billion, up from $207.1 billion as of the end of March, driven by strong fundraising in its flagship funds. The firm declared its regular quarterly dividend of 0.135 cents per share.

(Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)

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