Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Stock Price Down 1.7% Following Weak Earnings

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI)’s stock price was down 1.7% on Thursday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as low as $30.12 and last traded at $30.27. Approximately 8,220,805 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 14,020,573 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.78.

The pipeline company reported $0.32 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.80%. Kinder Morgan’s payout ratio is presently 98.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on KMI shares. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $26.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Kinder Morgan from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $27.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Kinder Morgan from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Kinder Morgan from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Thomas A. Martin sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.34, for a total value of $492,120.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 879,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,049,685.68. The trade was a 2.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Amy W. Chronis bought 2,241 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director now owns 23,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $597,235.55. This represents a 10.30 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 55,121 shares of company stock valued at $1,497,000. Company insiders own 12.64% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the second quarter valued at $30,000. 62.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kinder Morgan Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.37. The firm 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.

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.