Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Stock Price Up 1.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) shot up 1.4% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $32.41 and last traded at $32.0310. Approximately 7,273,686 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 12,454,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on KMI shares. Capital One Financial began coverage on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Kinder Morgan from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Kinder Morgan from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Kinder Morgan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $39.00 in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kinder Morgan has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.15.

Kinder Morgan Stock Up 1.4%

The company has a market cap of $71.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The pipeline company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.02. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 10.84% and a net margin of 19.64%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kinder Morgan, Inc. will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kinder Morgan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 2nd will be issued a $0.2975 dividend. This represents a $1.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. Kinder Morgan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kinder Morgan news, Chairman Richard D. Kinder acquired 500,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $29.99 per share, with a total value of $14,995,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 246,712,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,398,903,466.47. This trade represents a 0.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP John W. Schlosser sold 6,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.00, for a total value of $192,200.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 158,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,898,248. The trade was a 3.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 9,300 shares of company stock valued at $292,098 in the last quarter. Insiders own 12.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMI. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 0.7% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 47,788 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,598,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kinder Morgan by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,068 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC raised its stake in Kinder Morgan by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 8,498 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kinder Morgan by 72.9% in the 2nd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 778 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Finally, Optivise Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Kinder Morgan by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,534 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the period. 62.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kinder Morgan

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) is an energy infrastructure company that transports and stores natural gas, crude oil, refined petroleum products and other energy-related commodities. Its assets include pipelines, terminals and storage facilities serving energy producers, utilities, industrial customers and other markets across the United States and Canada. The company’s operations include natural gas transportation and storage, refined-products and crude-oil pipelines, bulk and liquids terminals, and carbon dioxide transportation.