Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Shares Down 1.4% on Disappointing Earnings

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) traded down 1.4% on Wednesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as low as $30.66 and last traded at $30.79. 5,245,225 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 13,431,764 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.22.

The pipeline company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.01). Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 8.10% and a net margin of 17.31%.

Kinder Morgan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.2875 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.80%. Kinder Morgan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KMI shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised their price target on Kinder Morgan from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Kinder Morgan from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kinder Morgan from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.92.

Insider Activity

In other Kinder Morgan news, Director Amy W. Chronis bought 2,241 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.89 per share, with a total value of $55,778.49. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 23,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $597,235.55. This trade represents a 10.30 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Thomas A. Martin sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total value of $502,380.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 861,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,048,707.32. This trade represents a 2.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,121 shares of company stock valued at $1,497,000. Company insiders own 12.64% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Duquesne Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kinder Morgan by 74.0% during the 2nd quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 6,753,165 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $134,185,000 after buying an additional 2,872,665 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in Kinder Morgan by 39.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,186,207 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $180,833,000 after acquiring an additional 2,334,273 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Kinder Morgan by 295.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,937,055 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $64,879,000 after purchasing an additional 2,194,489 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kinder Morgan by 1,849.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,164,637 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $47,817,000 after purchasing an additional 2,053,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Kinder Morgan by 847.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,475,187 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $40,420,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319,474 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.52% of the company’s stock.

Kinder Morgan Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.13 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Kinder Morgan Company Profile

Kinder Morgan, Inc operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in North America. The company operates through Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, Terminals, and CO2 segments. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment owns and operates interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline, and storage systems; natural gas gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities; natural gas liquids fractionation facilities and transportation systems; and liquefied natural gas gasification, liquefaction, and storage facilities.