KKRS 8-K Filed 2026-07-30 Execution disclosure

KKR repurchased 3.9M shares at $90.87 average in H1 2026

$352M deployed under standing authorization; remainder reflects equity award retirements

Shares repurchased3.9M
Avg price paid$90.87
Remaining$87M
MechanismShare repurchase plan (open-ma

What the filing says

KKR & Co. Inc. deployed $352 million under its standing share repurchase authorization during the first half of 2026 (through July 24), retiring a combined 3.9 million shares at an average cost of $90.87 per share. Of this total, the company repurchased shares in the open market and retired equity awards issued under its equity incentive plan.

As of the filing date, KKR reported $87 million remaining availability under its original share repurchase plan, which was first announced on October 27, 2015. The company's adjusted share count stood at 923.7 million shares as of June 30, 2026, compared to 901.1 million at the end of 2025.

The repurchase activity occurred amid strong operational performance in Q2 2026, with the company reporting record Fee Related Earnings, Total Operating Earnings, and Adjusted Net Income per share on both quarterly and trailing twelve-month bases. KKR also declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.195 per share of common stock during the period.

From December 31, 2025 through July 24, 2026, KKR used a total of $352 million under the share repurchase plan to retire equity awards and repurchase shares representing 3.9 million shares in aggregate. During this period, retirements and share repurchases were made at an average cost of $90.87 per share. — KKR & Co. Inc. 8-K filing  ·  View on SEC EDGAR →

What this means

The $352 million deployed in the first half of 2026 represents a modest pace of share reduction, with only $87 million remaining under the original authorization from 2015. At current execution levels, the existing authorization is substantially exhausted. The repurchase activity, combined with equity award retirements, reduced common share count by approximately 3.9 million shares—roughly 0.4% of the company's adjusted share base. With record per-share earnings and growing AUM ($796 billion, up 16% year-over-year), KKR's capital management appears balanced between dividends ($0.195 per share declared) and modest buyback activity. The company maintains a strong balance sheet with net cash of $4.6 billion and 'A' ratings from S&P and Fitch.

Frequently asked questions

How much of KKR's original repurchase authorization remains?
As of July 24, 2026, only $87 million remained available under the share repurchase plan first announced in October 2015. With $352 million deployed in H1 2026 and $3.118 billion total spent since inception, the authorization is nearly exhausted. If KKR intends to continue repurchasing shares, a new authorization would likely be needed.
What was the average price KKR paid for repurchased shares in H1 2026?
KKR repurchased shares at an average cost of $90.87 per share during the period from December 31, 2025 through July 24, 2026. This reflects both open-market repurchases and the cost basis of retired equity awards.
Did KKR announce a new buyback authorization in this filing?
No. This 8-K filing reports execution activity only—the retirement of equity awards and open-market repurchases under the existing authorization announced in 2015. No new authorization amount or program is announced in this earnings release filing.
How do these repurchases compare to KKR's dividend policy?
KKR deployed $352 million in buybacks over six months while paying a regular quarterly dividend of $0.195 per share. Based on adjusted share count, the quarterly dividend runs at approximately $180 million per quarter, making dividends KKR's primary capital return mechanism. Share repurchases appear opportunistic and subordinate to the dividend.
What does KKR's strong earnings performance mean for future buybacks?
KKR reported record Fee Related Earnings, Total Operating Earnings, and Adjusted Net Income per share in Q2 2026. With $796 billion in AUM (up 16% YoY) and net cash of $4.6 billion, the company has capacity to fund capital returns. However, with only $87 million left under the current authorization, buyback activity will be constrained until a new program is authorized by the board.
How many shares did KKR repurchase versus retire as equity awards?
The filing discloses $352 million total spent on 3.9 million shares but does not separately break down open-market repurchases versus equity award retirements in this summary. The stock summary table shows inception-to-date figures of $70 million in open-market repurchases and $28.1 million in equity award retirements, but does not isolate H1 2026 split.
execution asset-manager H1-2026 share-count-reduction equity-awards
Source. This editorial summary is based on the SEC filing linked above. BuybackStocks aggregates and editorializes publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. Not investment advice. Past authorization announcements do not guarantee future repurchase activity or share price performance. See our full disclosures policy.