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

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors purchased 20,717 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 39% compared to the average daily volume of 14,872 call options.

Kinder Morgan Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KMI opened at $18.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $41.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.13, a P/E/G ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Kinder Morgan has a 1-year low of $15.89 and a 1-year high of $18.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.78 and its 200 day moving average is $17.39.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The pipeline company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34. The company had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.36 billion. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 7.85% and a net margin of 16.08%. Kinder Morgan’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kinder Morgan will post 1.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kinder Morgan Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.2875 dividend. This is a boost from Kinder Morgan’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.15 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Kinder Morgan’s payout ratio is 102.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Kinder Morgan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $20.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kinder Morgan presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Kinder Morgan by 3,655.3% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,427 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hartford Financial Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Kinder Morgan during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 62.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.