Kennedy Wilson Q2 2025 slides: Investment management fees hit record amid strategic shift

Published 15/08/2025, 10:58
Kennedy Wilson Q2 2025 slides: Investment management fees hit record amid strategic shift

Introduction & Market Context

Kennedy-Wilson Holdings Inc (NYSE:KW) presented its Q2 2025 investor slides highlighting the company’s strategic shift toward growing its investment management platform while maintaining a strong real estate portfolio. The company reported a better-than-expected quarterly performance with revenue reaching $135.7 million, surpassing expectations by nearly 40%, while narrowing its loss to $0.05 per share compared to a $0.43 loss in the same quarter last year.

With a 35+ year track record, Kennedy Wilson has built a diversified real estate portfolio focused primarily on multifamily, industrial, and credit investments across the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland. The company’s presentation emphasized its positioning to capitalize on structural housing shortages and supply-demand imbalances in its target markets.

As shown in the following overview of Kennedy Wilson’s global presence and key metrics:

Strategic Initiatives

Kennedy Wilson outlined three key strategic initiatives driving its business forward: investment management platform growth, increasing property NOI, and asset recycling. The company is targeting over 20% growth in investment management fees, having already achieved 30% growth year-to-date compared to the first half of 2024. Q2 2025 marked a record with $36 million in investment management fees and $9.2 billion in fee-bearing capital.

The company’s asset recycling strategy has generated $275 million from asset sales in the first half of 2025, with expectations to exceed $400 million for the full year. These proceeds are being directed toward growing the investment management platforms and reducing unsecured debt.

The strategic initiatives that form the foundation of Kennedy Wilson’s growth strategy are illustrated here:

Portfolio Composition

Kennedy Wilson’s stabilized portfolio generates an estimated annual NOI of $468 million, with multifamily representing 64% of the total. The company’s strategic focus on rental housing is evident in its portfolio allocation, with multifamily, loans, and industrial collectively accounting for 72% of the portfolio. Geographically, 64% of the portfolio is located in the United States, with significant presence in Ireland (19%) and the UK (16%).

The following chart breaks down Kennedy Wilson’s stabilized portfolio by sector and geography:

The company’s global multifamily portfolio totals 40,000 units, with 83% located in the Western U.S. and 17% in Ireland. Within the U.S., the portfolio is concentrated in the Mountain West (37%), Pacific Northwest (28%), and California (18%) regions, generating an estimated annual NOI of $298 million with a 94% occupancy rate.

The geographic distribution of Kennedy Wilson’s multifamily portfolio is illustrated in this map:

Investment Management Growth

A key highlight of Kennedy Wilson’s presentation was the impressive growth of its investment management platform. The company has achieved a 25% CAGR in fee-bearing capital since 2018, growing from $2.2 billion to $9.2 billion as of Q2 2025. Similarly, investment management fees have grown at a 30% CAGR, increasing from $15 million in 2018 to an annualized $123 million in 2025.

The following charts demonstrate Kennedy Wilson’s strong track record of growth in its investment management business:

Kennedy Wilson has built relationships with a diverse group of institutional investors across geographies and types. Insurance companies represent 63% of the investor base, followed by pension funds (12%) and sovereign wealth funds (11%). Geographically, Canadian investors account for 62% of the capital, followed by Asia (16%) and the U.S. (14%).

The diversification of Kennedy Wilson’s institutional investor base is shown in these charts:

Rental housing represents 65% of Kennedy Wilson’s assets under management, with investments across both equity and credit opportunities. The company’s real estate equity investments total $12 billion in AUM, generating $315 million in NOI and fees, while credit investments account for $8 billion in AUM, producing $64 million in interest and fees.

The breakdown of Kennedy Wilson’s rental housing investments is illustrated here:

Financial Performance

Kennedy Wilson reported Adjusted EBITDA of $147.1 million for Q2 2025, a significant improvement from $79 million in Q2 2024. This aligns with the company’s earnings release, which highlighted a 12% year-over-year increase in baseline EBITDA to $117 million.

The company maintains a strong balance sheet with 98% of its debt either fixed or hedged, reducing exposure to interest rate fluctuations. The weighted average term to maturity is 4.6 years with an effective interest rate of 4.7%. Kennedy Wilson reported $757 million in cash and available credit facility, providing substantial liquidity for future investments.

Market Opportunities & Forward Outlook

Kennedy Wilson highlighted several market trends supporting its strategic focus on rental housing. In the U.S., a national housing shortage of over 3 million units, combined with slowing supply growth and high homeownership costs, creates favorable conditions for multifamily investments. The company noted that construction starts are declining, which will likely exacerbate the housing shortage and support rent growth.

In Ireland, Kennedy Wilson identified significant opportunities due to market imbalances. Only 11% of private rental units are owned by institutional landlords, and there is an urgent need for new residential stock with annual requirements of 60,000 units compared to just 30,330 completions in 2024. Additionally, only 10.6% of Irish residents live in apartments, compared to 47.5% across EU countries.

The Irish multifamily market opportunity is illustrated in this chart:

According to the earnings call, Kennedy Wilson is on track to exceed its capital deployment target of $4.3 billion for 2025 and aims to grow its residential portfolio to 90,000-100,000 units in the next 3-4 years. The company is also exploring expansion into bridge and permanent loans, signaling continued growth and diversification.

CEO Bill McMorrow expressed confidence in the company’s growth trajectory, stating, "We’re confident that as we grow our NAV and scale in our diversified investment management business, the value creation will increasingly be recognized in our share price."

Following the earnings announcement, Kennedy Wilson’s stock price rose by 2.69% to $7.26, reflecting investor optimism despite the stock trading below its 52-week high of $11.88. The company continues to offer a dividend yield of 6.43%, significantly above its 5-year average of 6%.

Full presentation:

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