Traders Buy Large Volume of Kinder Morgan Put Options (NYSE:KMI)

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 13,780 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 46% compared to the typical volume of 9,416 put options.

Kinder Morgan Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of KMI traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.93. The company had a trading volume of 5,886,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,124,424. Kinder Morgan has a 52-week low of $25.60 and a 52-week high of $34.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $31.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.46.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The pipeline company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.22 billion. Kinder Morgan had a net margin of 19.31% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. Kinder Morgan has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.360-1.360 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kinder Morgan will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kinder Morgan Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd were given a dividend of $0.2975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Kinder Morgan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Kinder Morgan from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price target on Kinder Morgan in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Kinder Morgan from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Kinder Morgan in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kinder Morgan presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.47.

Insider Transactions at Kinder Morgan

In related news, VP Michael Garthwaite sold 1,550 shares of Kinder Morgan stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.80, for a total transaction of $47,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 48,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,980.40. This trade represents a 3.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 12.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Kinder Morgan by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 175,834,246 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $5,621,421,000 after purchasing an additional 1,875,143 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Kinder Morgan by 4.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 130,863,419 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $4,183,704,000 after purchasing an additional 5,361,578 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Kinder Morgan by 1.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,018,394 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $2,079,477,000 after purchasing an additional 836,571 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kinder Morgan by 2.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 17,237,384 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $577,998,000 after purchasing an additional 448,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Kinder Morgan by 5.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,130,700 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $507,332,000 after purchasing an additional 831,125 shares in the last quarter. 62.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kinder Morgan Company Profile

Kinder Morgan, Inc (NYSE: KMI) is an energy infrastructure company that owns and operates pipelines, terminals, and storage facilities. Its assets primarily transport and store natural gas, crude oil, refined petroleum products, and carbon dioxide, supporting energy producers, utilities, refiners, industrial companies, and other customers.

The company’s natural gas business includes interstate and intrastate pipelines, gathering and processing systems, and underground storage facilities.