LIVE
KKR
KKR & Co Inc. · Financial Services / Alternative Asset Management
$97.01
+4.40% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
ARES
Ares Management Corporation · Financial Services / Alternative Asset Management
$129.34
+7.87% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
KKR
2
ARES
2
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
KKR 56.7
ARES ✓59.5
1Y Return
KKR -20.23%
ARES ✓-19.85%
Fwd P/E
KKR ✓13.12
ARES 17.67
Target Up.
KKR ✓+29.40%
ARES +12.29%
Op. Margin
KKR N/A
ARES N/A
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
KKR vs ARES Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
KKR and ARES are both leading alternative asset managers with different strategic emphasis. KKR was founded on PE and has built a multi-strategy platform (PE, credit, real assets, insurance) with Global Atlantic providing transformative permanent capital. Ares is primarily a credit specialist with the most predictable FRE from direct lending and structured credit management. In strong PE deal environments, KKR's more PE-heavy carried interest exposure provides upside. In credit market growth scenarios, Ares's direct lending dominance captures the structural bank lending retreat.
KKR vs ARES — KKR & Co (multi-strategy alternative manager with PE heritage, Global Atlantic insurance capital as a $100B+ permanent capital advantage, and $550B+ AUM across PE, credit, and real assets) versus Ares Management (world's largest credit alternative manager with $450B+ AUM dominated by direct lending and structured credit providing predictable FRE from stable management fee income).
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
KKR and ARES are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. ARES has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-19.85% vs -20.23%), though KKR trades at the lower forward P/E (13.12x vs 17.67x). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for KKR (+29.40%) than for ARES (+12.29%).
Normalized 1Y performance
KKR
ARES
Recent returns
KKR
ARES
Analyst price targets & sentiment
KKR · 19 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.5/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$104.00
analyst high$153.00
analyst mean$125.53
current price$97.01
+29.4% upside to analyst mean
ARES · 17 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.9/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$125.00
analyst high$190.00
analyst mean$145.24
current price$129.34
+12.3% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
KKR may suit investors who:
- →want exposure to KKR's multi-strategy alternative platform with PE carried interest upside when deal environments improve alongside credit and real assets management fees
- →value the Global Atlantic insurance capital as a transformative structural advantage — $100B+ permanent capital not subject to fundraising or LP redemptions at insurance return hurdles
- →are positive on KKR's PE brand driving premium deal flow and LP relationships built over 50 years in leveraged buyouts — brand matters in alternative asset management
- →prefer multi-strategy alternative exposure rather than credit specialization — KKR's diversified strategy mix provides different drivers than Ares's credit concentration
ARES may suit investors who:
- →prefer more stable and predictable FRE from credit AUM management fees vs KKR's PE-influenced carried interest cycle dependency
- →are positive on structural direct lending market growth as bank regulatory constraints create ongoing opportunity for non-bank middle market lenders
- →want credit-specialist alternative management expertise rather than KKR's generalist multi-strategy approach — depth of credit knowledge creates genuine competitive differentiation
- →value Ares's insurance capital partnerships as a strategic capital advantage building toward KKR/Apollo-scale permanent capital at lower execution risk than KKR's full insurance acquisition
Performance & AI score
| Metric | KKR | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 56.7 | 59.5 |
| AI rank | #231 | #175 |
| Latest close | $97.01 | $129.34 |
| 1M return | +4.40% | +7.87% |
| 6M return | -26.31% | -21.42% |
| 1Y return | -20.23% | -19.85% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | KKR | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $8.03K (-19.7%) started 2025-06-18 | $8.31K (-16.9%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $18.73K (+87.3%) started 2021-06-18 | $31.23K (+212.3%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $107.88K (+978.8%) started 2016-06-20 | $246.16K (+2361.6%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | KKR | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $90.46B | $42.66B |
| Trailing P/E | 33.00 | 59.60 |
| Forward P/E | 13.12 | 17.67 |
| Price/Sales | 3.57 | 7.22 |
| EV/Revenue | 6.00 | 8.29 |
| Analyst target | $125.53 | $145.24 |
| Target upside | +29.40% | +12.29% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | KKR | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | -6.60% | 28.30% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | 770.50% |
| EPS growth | N/A | +770.50% |
| FCF margin | N/A | +29.74% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | 11.68% | 10.54% |
| ROIC proxy | 7.66% | 14.18% |
| Return on equity | 7.66% | 14.18% |
| Dividend yield | 0.76% | 4.00% |
| Beta | 1.79 | 1.52 |
| Debt/equity | 69.03 | 168.76 |
| Current ratio | 0.86 | 0.49 |
| Quick ratio | 0.81 | 0.41 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
KKR max drawdown44.62%
ARES max drawdown49.30%
KKR max wkly drop13.75%
ARES max wkly drop19.66%
5Y risk snapshot
KKR max drawdown49.42%
ARES max drawdown49.97%
KKR max wkly drop19.80%
ARES max wkly drop22.99%
10Y risk snapshot
KKR max drawdown49.42%
ARES max drawdown49.97%
KKR max wkly drop24.77%
ARES max wkly drop27.59%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | KKR | ARES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -20.23% | -19.85% |
| CAGR | -20.24% | -19.87% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.54 | -0.43 | |
| Max drawdown | 44.62% | 49.30% | |
| Max daily drop | 9.69% | 11.19% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.75% | 19.66% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +79.46% | +164.39% |
| CAGR | +12.41% | +21.47% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.38 | 0.59 | |
| Max drawdown | 49.42% | 49.97% | |
| Max daily drop | 15.18% | 15.48% | |
| Max wkly drop | 19.80% | 22.99% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +798.77% | +1376.07% |
| CAGR | +24.57% | +30.92% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.66 | 0.80 | |
| Max drawdown | 49.42% | 49.97% | |
| Max daily drop | 15.18% | 15.48% | |
| Max wkly drop | 24.77% | 27.59% |
Business comparison
| Category | KKR | ARES |
|---|---|---|
| Company | KKR & Co Inc. | Ares Management Corporation |
| Sector | Financial Services / Alternative Asset Management | Financial Services / Alternative Asset Management |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) pioneered the leveraged buyout industry in the 1970s and has evolved into a $550B+ multi-strategy alternative asset manager. KKR's core businesses: Private Equity (flagship buyout funds — historically the largest business), Credit (direct lending, leveraged finance, CLOs, real estate credit), Real Assets (infrastructure, real estate equity), and Insurance (Global Atlantic — KKR-owned insurance company providing captive capital). KKR's acquisition of Global Atlantic in 2021 is strategically transformative — insurance float provides $100B+ in permanent capital with matching returns from KKR's credit products. | Ares Management is the world's largest credit-focused alternative asset manager with $450B+ in AUM — primarily direct lending and credit strategies with complementary private equity and real estate businesses. Ares's credit dominance provides highly predictable FRE from management fees on deployed loan portfolios — a more stable earnings stream than PE-heavy managers that depend on deal exit timing for carried interest realization. |
| Investor focus | Investors focus on KKR's Global Atlantic insurance capital strategic advantage, fee-related earnings growth from multi-strategy AUM, PE deal activity and carried interest realization pace, and competition across all three major alternative strategies vs focused specialists. | Investors focus on Ares's credit AUM growth (direct lending market expansion as banks retreat), FRE growth from management fees on deployed credit capital, credit quality of underlying borrowers in high-rate environment, and Ares's expansion into insurance capital partnerships (Aspida). |
KKR strengths
- →Global Atlantic insurance capital: owning a large insurance company provides KKR with $100B+ of permanent, non-redeemable capital at insurance industry return requirements — a structural advantage generating management fee income without fundraising
- →Leveraged buyout brand heritage: KKR's PE brand is among the most recognized globally — premium deal flow access and LP relationships built over 50 years provide competitive advantages in deal sourcing
- →Multi-strategy platform for LP capital concentration: large institutional LPs prefer concentrating capital with fewer relationships — KKR's multi-strategy platform (PE, credit, real assets) captures more wallet share per LP
ARES strengths
- →Credit-dominant AUM provides predictable FRE: management fees on $300B+ credit AUM generate more consistent earnings than PE transaction cycle-dependent managers
- →Direct lending market structural growth: bank regulatory retreat from middle market corporate lending creates a large, growing, structurally growing market for Ares's core business
- →Insurance capital partnerships at scale: Ares manages insurance company AUM through Aspida and other partnerships — long-duration capital with stable FRE generation
Risks to watch — KKR
- →PE performance cycle dependency: KKR's origins and reputation are PE-centric — PE deal environment impacts KKR's carried interest significantly more than credit-specialist Ares
- →Scale vs specialization competitive tension: KKR competes with Ares in credit, Blackstone in PE and real assets, and Brookfield in infrastructure — fewer specialists at each strategy vs KKR's multi-strategy presence
- →Global Atlantic integration complexity: managing a $100B+ insurance company alongside asset management requires insurance expertise, regulatory compliance, and balance sheet management different from pure asset management
Risks to watch — ARES
- →Credit quality monitoring required: Ares's direct lending portfolios concentrated in middle market corporate borrowers face default risk in economic stress — portfolio quality is critical to management fee sustainability
- →PE upside limited vs KKR: Ares's PE business is smaller relative to credit vs KKR's more balanced strategy allocation — less PE upside in strong deal environments
- →Competition intensifying in direct lending: Blackstone, Apollo, Carlyle, and KKR are all building large credit franchises competing directly with Ares's core business — competitive moat in credit is harder to maintain as all managers expand credit
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