Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Sells 132,395 Shares of Kinder Morgan, Inc. $KMI

Key Points

• Mesirow Financial Investment Management reduced its Kinder Morgan stake by 39.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 132,395 shares and ending with 204,365 shares valued at about $5.62 million.
• Kinder Morgan has seen notable insider selling as well, with VP John W. Schlosser and VP Michael P. Garthwaite both selling shares under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans; insiders sold 29,598 shares worth $966,877 over the last 90 days.
• Despite mixed analyst activity, the stock still carries a Moderate Buy consensus and has been supported by a stronger-than-expected quarterly report and a higher dividend, now set at $0.2975 per share quarterly.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI - Free Report) by 39.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,365 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 132,395 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Kinder Morgan were worth $5,618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kinder Morgan during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,674,000. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Kinder Morgan during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,882,000. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kinder Morgan by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,231,845 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $34,874,000 after acquiring an additional 46,396 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Kinder Morgan by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 12,452,111 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $352,519,000 after acquiring an additional 1,682,241 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in Kinder Morgan by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 869,127 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $24,605,000 after acquiring an additional 99,540 shares during the period. 62.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kinder Morgan news, VP John W. Schlosser sold 6,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.41, for a total value of $199,840.06. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 176,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,721,661.40. This trade represents a 3.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Michael P. Garthwaite sold 1,550 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.72, for a total value of $49,166.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 44,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,422,419.96. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,598 shares of company stock worth $966,877. 12.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Kinder Morgan from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research cut Kinder Morgan from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Kinder Morgan from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Kinder Morgan from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Kinder Morgan in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.20.

Key Kinder Morgan News

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

• Positive Sentiment: KMI was named to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) income stocks list, which can support buying interest from investors looking for higher-yield names with favorable momentum. Best Income Stocks to Buy for May 13th
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains supportive, with Kinder Morgan receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, reinforcing the view that the company’s cash-flow profile and pipeline assets remain attractive. Kinder Morgan, Inc. NYSE: KMI Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter around “new targets and project backlogs” suggests improving visibility on future growth, which is typically a bullish driver for a pipeline operator like Kinder Morgan. How The Kinder Morgan (KMI) Story Is Shifting With New Targets And Project Backlogs
• Neutral Sentiment: KMI has also been showing up on stock-watch lists and “most searched” screens, which indicates elevated trading interest but does not by itself change the fundamentals. Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent headlines note that the shares bounced after several losing sessions, which may reflect a short-term technical rebound rather than a major fundamental shift. Kinder Morgan jumps 3% after six straight sessions of losses

Kinder Morgan Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE KMI opened at $32.82 on Thursday. Kinder Morgan, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.60 and a fifty-two week high of $34.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.87. The stock has a market cap of $73.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.56.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The pipeline company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.10. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 9.90% and a net margin of 18.92%.The business had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.34 EPS. The business's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kinder Morgan has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.360-1.360 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Kinder Morgan, Inc. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Kinder Morgan Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be issued a $0.2975 dividend. This is an increase from Kinder Morgan's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 4th. This represents a $1.19 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Kinder Morgan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.87%.

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.

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