Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Kinder Morgan Call Options (NYSE:KMI)

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 25,728 call options on the company. This is an increase of 73% compared to the typical volume of 14,862 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KMI. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Kinder Morgan from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 14th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Kinder Morgan from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price target on shares of Kinder Morgan in a report on Thursday. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 price target on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Kinder Morgan from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kinder Morgan currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP John W. Schlosser sold 6,166 shares of Kinder Morgan stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.49, for a total transaction of $169,503.34. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 201,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,531,097.96. The trade was a 2.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Richard D. Kinder purchased 1,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.96 per share, with a total value of $25,960,000.00. Following the purchase, the chairman directly owned 246,212,353 shares in the company, valued at $6,391,672,683.88. This represents a 0.41% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have bought 1,004,287 shares of company stock worth $26,072,463 and have sold 18,498 shares worth $507,462. Insiders own 12.73% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kinder Morgan by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 208,116,318 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $5,891,773,000 after buying an additional 896,837 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kinder Morgan by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,848,863 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,518,195,000 after acquiring an additional 599,152 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kinder Morgan during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,162,802,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd grew its position in Kinder Morgan by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 22,635,179 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $665,474,000 after acquiring an additional 670,856 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Kinder Morgan by 1.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,165,368 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $627,502,000 after purchasing an additional 216,039 shares during the period. 62.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Kinder Morgan News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kinder Morgan this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat: KMI reported EPS above consensus and revenue that topped estimates, with double‑digit revenue growth and record annual results — a key near‑term driver for the stock. Kinder Morgan’s Q4 Earnings Beat on Natural Gas Pipelines Contributions
• Positive Sentiment: Large LNG backlog and demand tailwinds: Management highlighted a >$10B project backlog and projected strong LNG feed‑gas demand in 2026, supporting medium‑term EBITDA and growth expectations. Kinder Morgan projects $19.8Bcf/day LNG feed gas demand in 2026 as backlog advances to $10B
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend confirmed: The board approved a $0.2925 quarterly cash dividend (4.0% yield), supporting income‑oriented investor interest and reinforcing capital‑return credibility. Kinder Morgan Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options buying: Elevated call‑option volume (large block of calls) suggests speculative or hedged bullish positioning by traders, which can amplify upward moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/institutional backdrop: Analysts and institutions remain generally constructive (median targets near $30; heavy institutional ownership), which provides support but leaves limited near‑term upside without fresh catalysts. Kinder Morgan’s Natural Gas/Dividend Growth Cycle Still in Play
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed insider activity: Recent filings show both sizable insider purchases and sales — a mixed signal that warrants monitoring but is not a clear directional indicator. QuiverQuant earnings summary & insider activity
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance: Management issued tepid near‑term guidance/updated outlook even as it raised the dividend, which could temper upside if execution or LNG volumes fall short of backlog assumptions. Kinder Morgan Tops Earnings Estimates In Q4, Lifts Dividend, Lowers Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Cash‑flow and liquidity notes: Operating cash flow dipped year‑over‑year and cash balances declined, while capex rose — investors should watch free cash flow and leverage metrics as projects come online. QuiverQuant financial details

Kinder Morgan Trading Up 3.8%

KMI opened at $29.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.23 and a 200 day moving average of $27.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Kinder Morgan has a 12 month low of $23.94 and a 12 month high of $31.30. The firm has a market cap of $66.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.69.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The pipeline company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $4.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.33 billion. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 9.06% and a net margin of 18.04%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Kinder Morgan will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Kinder Morgan Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd will be paid a $0.2925 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Kinder Morgan’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.90%.

About Kinder Morgan

Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) is a large energy infrastructure company that owns and operates an extensive network of pipelines and terminals across North America. Its core activities center on the transportation, storage and handling of energy products, including natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil, refined petroleum products and carbon dioxide. The company’s assets include long-haul and gathering pipelines, storage facilities, and multi-modal terminals that serve producers, refiners, utilities and industrial customers.

Kinder Morgan’s operations deliver midstream services such as pipeline transportation, terminaling, storage and related logistics and maintenance.