American private equity firm KKR & Co. LP has managed to find more companies to buy in 2013 than all of its competitors. KKR is a New-York based investment firm founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts in 1976.

Wall Street Journal, citing data from investment platform Dealogic, said that KKR invested in 34 companies in 2013. The private equity firm spent roughly $174 billion on these buyouts.

According to the report, private equity funds have struggled to find companies to take or keep private amid a surging stock market. Private equity purchases of companies or stakes in companies increased by 20% in 2013 compared to last year, but is still down 65% from 2007, based on Dealogic data.

Following KKR, Carlyle Group LP purchased equity stakes in 27 companies. The Washington DC-based investment firm spend only $4.84 billion on these deals, WSJ said.

Private equity firms TPG Capital LP and Bain Capital LLC follow KKR and Carlyle in the number of deals. TPG spent $11.2 billion for stakes in 26 companies. Bain Capital, on the other hand, spent $14 billion on 25 companies, the report said.