Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Trading 1.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) shares rose 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $27.76 and last traded at $27.80. Approximately 2,784,848 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 15,932,045 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Kinder Morgan from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Kinder Morgan from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on Kinder Morgan from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $27.00 target price for the company. Nine investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kinder Morgan currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.14.

Kinder Morgan Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $61.51 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $27.95 and its 200 day moving average is $24.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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 net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 8.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kinder Morgan, Inc. will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Kinder Morgan Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.15%. Kinder Morgan’s payout ratio is 98.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kinder Morgan

In other Kinder Morgan news, President Thomas A. Martin sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $502,380.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 861,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,048,707.32. This trade represents a 2.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 12.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.52% of the company’s stock.

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.