Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Trading Down 1.4% After Earnings Miss

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

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

Kinder Morgan Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.2875 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on KMI shares. Barclays increased their price target on Kinder Morgan from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America began coverage on Kinder Morgan in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Kinder Morgan from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Kinder Morgan from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Kinder Morgan from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.92.

Insider Activity at Kinder Morgan

In other news, President Thomas A. Martin sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $502,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 861,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,048,707.32. This trade represents a 2.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Amy W. Chronis acquired 2,241 shares of Kinder Morgan stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.89 per share, with a total value of $55,778.49. Following the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 55,121 shares of company stock valued at $1,497,000. 12.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KMI. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the second quarter worth $30,000. 62.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kinder Morgan Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.46. The company has a market cap 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 fifty day moving average of $27.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.37.

About Kinder Morgan

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.