Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Trading 3% Higher – Still a Buy?

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI)’s stock price was up 3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $31.19 and last traded at $31.22. Approximately 4,392,455 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 12,538,582 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Kinder Morgan from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Kinder Morgan from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Kinder Morgan from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Kinder Morgan in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $26.00 target price on Kinder Morgan in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kinder Morgan currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.00.

Kinder Morgan Trading Up 3.0 %

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $27.74 and its 200-day moving average is $24.20. The company has a market cap of $69.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kinder Morgan

In other news, Director Amy W. Chronis bought 2,241 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.89 per share, with a total value of $55,778.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $597,235.55. This trade represents a 10.30 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Thomas A. Martin sold 19,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.28, for a total transaction of $502,499.88. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 897,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,590,294.56. The trade was a 2.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,121 shares of company stock worth $1,497,000. Insiders own 12.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KMI. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Kinder Morgan during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Kinder Morgan in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp increased its position in Kinder Morgan by 143.6% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 1,352 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. 62.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.