George Soros Bet Sends Kodiak AI Spiking After-Hours - Kodiak AI (NASDAQ:KDK)

Core Viewpoint - Kodiak AI Inc. shares have experienced a recent uptick in after-hours trading, influenced by a significant investment from Soros Fund Management, despite a challenging year for the company [2][3]. Group 1: Stock Performance - Kodiak AI's shares rose by 2.2% to $6.98 during after-hours trading on Thursday, gaining $0.15 from the previous day's closing price [2]. - The stock is down 37.8% year-to-date, with fluctuations between $5.77 and $11.62, and a current market capitalization of $1.24 billion [2]. - The price-to-earnings ratio stands at 26.14 [2]. Group 2: Soros Fund Management Investment - Soros Fund Management LLC has filed a Schedule 13G revealing a 5.7% stake in Kodiak AI, amounting to 9,967,978 shares [3]. - The filing indicates that Soros' holdings are not intended to influence or control the company [4]. - The ownership calculation is based on Kodiak AI's 174.96 million outstanding shares, excluding pending sponsor earnout shares [4]. Group 3: Company Background - Kodiak AI, previously known as Ares Acquisition, completed a $2.5 billion merger with Kodiak Robotics and began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols "KDK" and "KDKRW" [5]. - The merger was supported by notable investors including George Soros and Cathie Wood [5].