Jan 29 (Reuters) - Private equity firm KKR has taken a

large stake in Henry Schein and plans to work with the

distributor of medical products to improve its operations, the

Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing people familiar

with the matter.

Shares of the company rose more than 6% to $80.69 premarket

after the report.

KKR plans to announce a deal that includes increasing its

stake to 12% with the option to buy up to an additional 2.9% in

the future, WSJ reported.

Henry Schein has agreed to give the private equity firm two

board seats, the report added.

Henry Schein did not immediately respond to a Reuters

request for comment.