Private-equity giants Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Bain have about tripled the money they put into HCA Holdings nearly six years ago and still own about 40 percent of Nashville's largest company. In today's "Heard on the Street" column in the Journal, John Jannarone says investors shouldn't be worried the funds are in a hurry to exit [2].
Some investors may be concerned that KKR and Bain will begin selling shares once the stock recovers. But they don't have much incentive to flood the market. Neither KKR nor Bain are scheduled to return the cash to its investors for several years. A bigger risk is that KKR and Bain actually will take a longer view than regular investors, potentially increasing the odds of another earnings miss that causes short-term share-price pain.