Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 19,989 Shares of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd reduced its stake in Kinder Morgan, Inc. by 19.4%, selling nearly 20,000 shares, and now holds 83,004 shares valued at approximately $2.36 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Burney Co. and AdvisorNet Financial Inc, significantly increased their positions in Kinder Morgan during the 1st quarter, with increases of 133.5% and 402.5% respectively.
• Kinder Morgan announced a $0.2925 quarterly dividend, representing an annualized yield of 4.20%, with a payout ratio of 95.90%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its holdings in Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI - Free Report) by 19.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 83,004 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 19,989 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Kinder Morgan were worth $2,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Kinder Morgan in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kinder Morgan by 927.1% in the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 873 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 62.52% of the company's stock.

Kinder Morgan Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE KMI traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $28.02. The stock had a trading volume of 7,349,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,378,348. The company's 50 day moving average price is $27.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.68. Kinder Morgan, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.68 and a twelve month high of $31.48. The firm has a market cap of $62.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.75.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 16th. The pipeline company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28. The business had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. Kinder Morgan had a net margin of 17.06% and a return on equity of 8.31%. Kinder Morgan's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kinder Morgan, Inc. will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Kinder Morgan Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.2925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $1.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. Kinder Morgan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $32.00 target price (up previously from $31.00) on shares of Kinder Morgan in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Kinder Morgan in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $34.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Kinder Morgan from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Kinder Morgan from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Kinder Morgan from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $31.13.

Insider Activity at Kinder Morgan

In other news, President Thomas A. Martin sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.26, for a total transaction of $508,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 771,652 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,806,885.52. This trade represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Amy W. Chronis acquired 2,759 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $27.21 per share, with a total value of $75,072.39. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 34,764 shares in the company, valued at $945,928.44. This represents a 8.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 12.73% of the company's stock.

Kinder Morgan 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.