Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Kinder Morgan from a "hold" to a strong-buy in its latest research note, increasing analyst attention on the stock.
• KMI beat Q1 expectations with $0.48 EPS (vs. $0.38 est.) and $4.83 billion in revenue—up 13.8% year-over-year—and set FY2026 guidance at 1.360 EPS while sell-side analysts project roughly 1.45 EPS for the year.
• Market consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $34.20; insiders have sold ~29,598 shares in the past 90 days while institutional ownership stands at about 62.5%, including large stakes from Norges Bank and AQR.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on KMI. Freedom Capital upgraded Kinder Morgan from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Kinder Morgan from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Kinder Morgan from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.20.

Kinder Morgan Stock Performance

Shares of Kinder Morgan stock opened at $31.82 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.87 and a 200 day moving average of $29.58. Kinder Morgan has a 12 month low of $25.60 and a 12 month high of $34.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The pipeline company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.10. Kinder Morgan had a return on equity of 9.90% and a net margin of 18.92%.The company had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.55 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.34 EPS. Kinder Morgan's revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kinder Morgan has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.360-1.360 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kinder Morgan will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John W. Schlosser sold 6,166 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.93, for a total transaction of $203,046.38. Following the sale, the vice president owned 182,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,016,508.58. This trade represents a 3.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.72, for a total value of $49,166.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 44,843 shares in the company, valued at $1,422,419.96. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 29,598 shares of company stock worth $952,572 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 12.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kinder Morgan

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KMI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Kinder Morgan during the 4th quarter worth about $1,132,125,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Kinder Morgan by 431.9% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,569,082 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $185,971,000 after buying an additional 5,333,986 shares during the period. Merewether Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan during the second quarter worth approximately $138,477,000. Zimmer Partners LP increased its position in Kinder Morgan by 177.8% during the third quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 6,070,100 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $171,845,000 after buying an additional 3,885,000 shares during the period. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Kinder Morgan during the fourth quarter worth approximately $85,364,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.52% of the company's stock.

Kinder Morgan News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sector dividend/payout support — Midstream companies continue to increase payouts into Q2, reinforcing the sector’s appeal to income-focused investors and supporting Kinder Morgan’s valuation as a high-yield infrastructure name. Midstream Payout Growth Continues Into Q2 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted longer-term estimates — US Capital Advisors increased FY2026–FY2028 and FY2027 EPS forecasts, indicating expectations for modest earnings recovery over the next few years, which can support medium-term upside. (Research note from US Capital Advisors)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media attention — KMI is a trending stock in outlets like Zacks/Yahoo and covered in analyst-roundup pieces; heightened attention can amplify moves but doesn't by itself change fundamentals. Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 earnings-call scrutiny — Coverage summarizing analyst questions from KMI’s Q1 call highlights investor focus on volumes, margins and guidance; outcomes of those operational items will drive near-term sentiment. 5 insightful analyst questions from Kinder Morgan’s Q1 earnings call
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term EPS downgrades — US Capital Advisors trimmed Q2, Q3 (and some quarterly) EPS forecasts, signaling potential softness in near-term throughput/margins that could pressure short-term results. (Research note from US Capital Advisors)
• Negative Sentiment: Peer margin pressure — Enterprise Products (EPD) missed Q1 EPS and cited weaker margins in crude pipelines and refined products despite volumes; this suggests margin risk across midstream peers that could weigh on Kinder Morgan sentiment. Enterprise Products Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Decline Y/Y

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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