JEF vs KKR Stock Comparison
JEF currently leads KKR in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 49 vs 42. The clearest difference is value, while KKR has the stronger risk resilience profile.
What is the main difference between JEF and KKR?
JEF leads the current stock comparison as Jefferies Financial Group Inc., with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Jefferies Financial Group Inc. vs KKR & Co. Inc.
JEF leads
JEF leads by 7 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Momentum.
Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support JEF, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Jefferies Financial Group Inc.
KKR & Co. Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors JEF over KKR, 49 versus 42 as of Oct 31, 2026. JEF's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and momentum, while KKR holds the stronger risk resilience profile. JEF also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor JEF today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. JEF lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 7 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Jefferies Financial Group Inc. and KKR & Co. Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare JEF and KKR against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value56 vs 29JEF +27
- Risk Resilience43 vs 58KKR +15
- Momentum57 vs 52JEF +5
- Quality39 vs 37Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor JEF. JEF’s edge is concentrated in value and momentum; KKR keeps a meaningful risk resilience edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-30, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-29.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 3 active signals are unchanged.
JEF's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — JEF and KKR both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
JEF (Jefferies Financial Group Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and momentum.
KKR (KKR & Co. Inc.): the counter-case, on risk resilience, fundamentals, technicals.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
JEFJEF on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
KKRKKR on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
JEFJEF on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points.
Momentum
JEFJEF on the Momentum factor, by 5 points.
Lower downside
KKRKKR on Risk Resilience, by 15 points.
Analyst upside
JEFJEF on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.
| Measure | JEF | KKR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +41.7% | +31.7% | JEF has more room |
| Target dispersion | +56.6% | +40.2% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Hold | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 6 | 9 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Dividend growth
| Dividend metric | JEF | KKR |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 21.67% | 6.61% |
| 2020 regular DPS | $0.600 | $0.530 |
| 2025 regular DPS | $1.600 | $0.730 |
| Years increased | 4 | 5 |
| No cut in window | Yes | Yes |
| Cohort rank | #11 | #197 |
JEF grew its split-adjusted regular dividend faster over 2020–2025 — 21.67% a year against KKR's 6.61%. Neither company reduced its regular dividend in any year of the window.
Yield and payout ratio shown elsewhere on this page are current values, not part of the study window.
Split-adjusted regular dividends per share, 2020–2025, excluding special dividends. Research as of Sep 19, 2026.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor JEF. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | JEF | 49 vs 42 |
| Fundamentals | KKRon balance | revenue growth 18.8% vs 53.2%; EPS growth 47.2% vs 80.5%; TTM ROE 8.5% vs 10.3%; gross margin 67.9% vs 46.5%; operating margin 7.5% vs 17.6% — KKR takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | JEF | Value 56 vs 29 |
| Technicals | KKR | Price vs 50-day -4.9% vs -3.3%; vs 200-day -6.9% vs -6.2% |
| Risk Resilience | KKR | Risk Resilience 43 vs 58 |
| Analyst expectations | JEF | Target upside 41.7% vs 31.7% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of JEF and KKR and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 7 points.
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on JEF.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jul 1 – Oct 30JEF lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 7 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- JEF +7
- 49 vs 42
- 7 sessions ago
- JEF +4
- 44 vs 40
- 30 sessions ago
- JEF +7
- 42 vs 35
- 90 sessions ago
- KKR +2
- 43 vs 45
The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Aug 14 when KKR moved ahead of JEF.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only JEF
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
Both carry 3 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
JEF leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -6.16%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -1.49%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1KKR closes the Value gap — currently 27 points behind, the largest single contributor to JEF's edge.
- 2KKR's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3JEF's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 3 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
KKR leads on balance| Metric | JEF | KKR |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 18.8% | 53.2% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 47.2% | 80.5% |
| Gross margin | 67.9% | 46.5% |
| Operating margin | 7.5% | 17.6% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| Debt to equity | 3.48 | 1.63 |
Performance
JEF leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | JEF | KKR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 5.5% | 3.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | 3.9% | 1.9% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -13.8% | -7.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 0.1% | -6.3% |
| Year to date | -23.3% | -27% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -16.4% | -23.3% |
Technicals
KKR has the stronger structure| Metric | JEF | KKR |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 66.1 | 58 |
| ADX (14) | 34.3 | 24.1 |
| Price vs 50-day | -4.9% | -3.3% |
| Price vs 200-day | -6.9% | -6.2% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 27.7% | 29.5% |
Risk
KKR is the more resilient| Metric | JEF | KKR |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.6 | 1.47 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.29 | -0.6 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.34 | -0.85 |
| Max drawdown | -45.6% | -41.3% |
| Current drawdown | -28.3% | -34.8% |
| Annualized volatility | 39.9% | 37.7% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -4% | -3.8% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, JEF or KKR?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, JEF is the stronger of the two as of Oct 31, 2026, scoring 49 against KKR's 42. The edge comes from value and momentum. KKR is not without a case — it holds the better risk resilience profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is JEF or KKR the better buy right now?
JEF carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 31, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor JEF over KKR?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. JEF leads Value by 27 points; KKR leads Risk Resilience by 15 points; JEF leads Momentum by 5 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, JEF or KKR?
Analyst price targets imply +41.7% upside for JEF and +31.7% for KKR, so the Street currently favors JEF. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, JEF or KKR?
JEF is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. JEF on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, JEF or KKR?
KKR on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, JEF or KKR?
JEF on the Momentum factor, by 5 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, JEF or KKR?
KKR is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. KKR on Risk Resilience, by 15 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is JEF more profitable than KKR?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 67.9% vs 46.5%; operating margin 7.5% vs 17.6%; ttm roe 8.5% vs 10.3%. JEF leads on one measure and KKR on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is JEF's lead over KKR getting stronger or weaker?
JEF lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 7 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-07-01 and 2026-10-30. The lead has changed hands 4 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-14, when KKR moved ahead of JEF.
What would change the JEF vs KKR verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: KKR closes the Value gap — currently 27 points behind, the largest single contributor to JEF's edge; KKR's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; JEF's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 3 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about JEF and KKR?
JEF: 1 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. KKR: 1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on JEF is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On KKR it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare JEF and KKR with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.