Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) vs American Express Company (AXP) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | KKRS | 50.9% revenue growth vs AXP's 10.1% |
| Value | KKRS | Lower P/E (3.3x vs 17.6x) |
| Quality / Margins | KKRS | 22.4% net margin vs AXP's 13.7% |
| Stability / Safety | KKRS | Beta 0.25 vs AXP's 1.35 |
| Dividends | KKRS | 3.7% yield, vs AXP's 0.9% |
| Momentum (1Y) | AXP | +3.7% vs KKRS's -2.9% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | AXP | 3.5% ROA vs KKRS's 1.5%, ROIC 12.2% vs 28.7% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC is a special purpose financing entity that exists to raise capital for KKR's investment activities. It generates revenue primarily through interest income from loans and debt securities issued to fund KKR's private equity and credit investments. Its key advantage is its structural role within the KKR ecosystem—providing efficient, dedicated financing capacity for one of the world's largest alternative asset managers.
American Express is a global payments and financial services company that issues charge and credit cards to consumers and businesses. It generates revenue primarily from discount fees charged to merchants — typically 2-3% of transaction value — and cardmember fees, with additional income from interest on revolving balances and travel services. Its key competitive advantage is its premium brand positioning and closed-loop network — which allows it to control both card issuance and merchant acceptance while collecting rich transaction data.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
KKRS leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). AXP leads in 1 (Total Returns). 2 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
AXP is the larger business by revenue, generating $74.2B annually — 3.4x KKRS's $21.9B. KKRS is the more profitable business, keeping 22.4% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to AXP's 13.7%.
| Metric | KKRSKKR Group Finance… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $21.9B | $74.2B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $18.8B | $15.2B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $6.0B | $10.5B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $4.2B | $18.9B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +80.2% | +81.9% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +74.2% | +17.4% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +22.4% | +13.7% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +29.7% | +16.4% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | — | +18.6% |
Valuation Metrics
At 3.3x trailing earnings, KKRS trades at a 85% valuation discount to AXP's 22.0x P/E. On an enterprise value basis, KKRS's 1.0x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than AXP's 15.3x.
| Metric | KKRSKKR Group Finance… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $15.7B | $212.8B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $15.7B | $223.4B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 3.34x | 22.03x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 17.58x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 1.85x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 0.96x | 15.33x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.72x | 2.87x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1030.16x | 7.28x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 2.41x | 17.53x |
Profitability & Efficiency
AXP delivers a 32.5% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $33 in annual profit, vs $8 for KKRS. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), AXP scores 7/9 vs KKRS's 6/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | KKRSKKR Group Finance… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +8.0% | +32.5% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +1.5% | +3.5% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +28.7% | +12.2% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +10.2% | +11.2% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 1.69x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$9M | $10.5B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $9M | $40.6B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $0 | $51.1B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 59.74x | 1.64x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in AXP five years ago would be worth $23,155 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $8,930 for KKRS. Over the past 12 months, AXP leads with a +3.7% total return vs KKRS's -2.9%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors AXP at 22.2% vs KKRS's 3.9% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | KKRSKKR Group Finance… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -0.7% | -16.9% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | -2.9% | +3.7% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +12.0% | +82.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -10.7% | +131.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -10.7% | +491.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +3.9% | +22.2% |
Risk & Volatility
KKRS is the less volatile stock with a 0.25 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than AXP's 1.35 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. KKRS currently trades 90.5% from its 52-week high vs AXP's 79.7% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | KKRSKKR Group Finance… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.25x | 1.35x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $19.44 | $387.49 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $16.40 | $220.43 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +90.5% | +79.7% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 49.1 | 42.2 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 40K | 2.4M |
Analyst Outlook
For income investors, KKRS offers the higher dividend yield at 3.73% vs AXP's 0.91%.
| Metric | KKRSKKR Group Finance… | AXPAmerican Express … |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $374.58 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 56 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +3.7% | +0.9% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 14 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $0.66 | $2.80 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +2.8% |
Historical Charts
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Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Apr 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR Group Finance C… (KKRS) | 100 | 67.78 | -32.2% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 100 | 227.93 | +127.9% |
American Express Co… (AXP) returned +132% over 5 years vs KKR Group Finance C… (KKRS)'s -11%. A $10,000 investment in AXP 5 years ago would be worth $23,155 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR Group Finance C… (KKRS) | $6.2B | $21.9B | +254.6% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | $34.4B | $74.2B | +115.8% |
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4.'s revenue grew from $6.2B (2015) to $21.9B (2024) — a 15.1% CAGR. American Express Company's revenue grew from $34.4B (2015) to $74.2B (2024) — a 8.9% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR Group Finance C… (KKRS) | 7.9% | 22.4% | +183.2% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 15.0% | 13.7% | -9.1% |
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4.'s net margin went from 8% (2015) to 22% (2024). American Express Company's net margin went from 15% (2015) to 14% (2024).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 8 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR Group Finance C… (KKRS) | 1.3 | 3.5 | +169.2% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 33.4 | 21.2 | -36.5% |
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. has traded in a 1x–5x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~3x. American Express Company has traded in a 12x–33x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~22x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2015 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKR Group Finance C… (KKRS) | 1.01 | 5.26 | +420.8% |
| American Express Co… (AXP) | 5.05 | 14.02 | +177.6% |
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4.'s EPS grew from $1.01 (2015) to $5.26 (2024) — a 20% CAGR. American Express Company's EPS grew from $5.05 (2015) to $14.02 (2024) — a 12% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. generated $7B FCF in 2024 (+189% vs 2021). American Express Company generated $12B FCF in 2024 (-7% vs 2021).
KKRS vs AXP: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is KKRS or AXP a better buy right now?
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) offers the better valuation at 3.3x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate American Express Company (AXP) a "Hold" — based on 56 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — KKRS or AXP?
On trailing P/E, KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) is the cheapest at 3.3x versus American Express Company at 22.0x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — KKRS or AXP?
Over the past 5 years, American Express Company (AXP) delivered a total return of +131.5%, compared to -10.7% for KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS). A $10,000 investment in AXP five years ago would be worth approximately $23K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: AXP returned +491.2% versus KKRS's -10.7%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — KKRS or AXP?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) is the lower-risk stock at 0.25β versus American Express Company's 1.35β — meaning AXP is approximately 434% more volatile than KKRS relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — KKRS or AXP?
KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) is the more profitable company, earning 22.4% net margin versus 13.7% for American Express Company — meaning it keeps 22.4% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: KKRS leads at 74.2% versus 17.4% for AXP. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — AXP leads at 81.9%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Which pays a better dividend — KKRS or AXP?
All stocks in this comparison pay dividends. KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) offers the highest yield at 3.7%, versus 0.9% for American Express Company (AXP).
07Is KKRS or AXP better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, KKR Group Finance Co. IX LLC 4. (KKRS) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.25), 3.7% yield). Both have compounded well over 10 years (KKRS: -10.7%, AXP: +491.2%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between KKRS and AXP?
Both stocks operate in the Financial Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: KKRS is a mid-cap deep-value stock; AXP is a large-cap quality compounder stock. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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