Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Price Target Raised to $36.00 at Morgan Stanley

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) had its price objective upped by Morgan Stanley from $34.00 to $36.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

KMI has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Kinder Morgan in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Freedom Capital raised Kinder Morgan from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.62.

Kinder Morgan Stock Performance

KMI opened at $33.92 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.00. The company has a market cap of $75.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.68. Kinder Morgan has a 52-week low of $23.94 and a 52-week high of $34.24.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $4.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.33 billion. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 18.04%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Kinder Morgan will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kinder Morgan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were given a dividend of $0.2925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Kinder Morgan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.40%.

Insider Transactions at Kinder Morgan

In related news, CFO David Patrick Michels sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $600,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 139,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,182,840. This represents a 12.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director William A. Smith purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $29.75 per share, for a total transaction of $89,250.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 31,087 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $924,838.25. This trade represents a 10.68% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 46,498 shares of company stock valued at $1,382,115 over the last ninety days. 12.73% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMI. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Kinder Morgan during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 62.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kinder Morgan

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Buy rating and the company added roughly $900M of new gas projects to its backlog, supporting revenue visibility and reinforcing buy-side conviction. Kinder Morgan Adds $900M in New Gas Projects
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $34 to $36 (still Equal Weight), which signals modest incremental upside from current levels and likely provided short-term support. Morgan Stanley Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple industry write-ups highlight stronger natural gas demand (including LNG and data-center-driven power demand) as a tailwind for midstream earnings and cash flows, which benefits KMI as a large pipeline and storage operator. Zacks: Natural Gas Stocks to Gain
• Neutral Sentiment: KMI presented at the Raymond James Institutional Investor Conference — useful for investor outreach and transparency but not an immediate earnings surprise. Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Heightened retail/institutional interest noted in coverage (Zacks feature on heavy searches) — increases liquidity and attention but not a directional catalyst by itself. Zacks: Investors Heavily Search KMI
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put option activity — 32,488 puts traded (~52% above typical volume) — suggests some market participants are positioning for downside or hedging exposure, which can increase short-term volatility and pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch flagged that KMI has underperformed peers despite daily gains, indicating the stock’s rally may lag the sector and could face relative selling if peer strength persists. MarketWatch: Underperformance vs. Competitors

Kinder Morgan Company Profile

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.