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Why Is Kinder Morgan (KMI) Up 7.8% Since Last Earnings Report?

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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Kinder Morgan (KMI - Free Report) . Shares have added about 7.8% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Kinder Morgan due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

Kinder Morgan Q3 Earnings Miss Estimates

Kinder Morgan reported third-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share of 25 cents, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 27 cents. The bottom line was flat year over year.

Total quarterly revenues of $3.7 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.8 billion. The top line decreased from $3.9 billion in the prior-year quarter.

The weak quarterly results were primarily due to lower contributions from the Products Pipelines and CO2 business segments.

Dividend Hike

Kinder Morgan announced a quarterly cash dividend of 28.75 cents per share for the third quarter of 2024 (annualized dividend of $1.15), implying a 2% increase from the third-quarter 2023 level. The dividend is payable on Nov. 15, 2024, to shareholders of record as of Oct. 31, 2024.

Segmental Analysis

Natural Gas Pipelines: In the September-end quarter, adjusted earnings before depreciation, depletion and amortization expenses, including the amortization of the excess cost of equity investments (EBDA), increased to $1.28 billion from $1.19 billion a year ago. The segment's performance benefited from increased contributions from the Texas Intrastate system and additional inputs from the STX Midstream acquisition. However, this was partially offset by reduced contributions from gathering systems due to asset divestitures and lower commodity prices.

Product Pipelines: The segment’s EBDA in the third quarter was $277 million, down from $313 million recorded a year ago. Lower commodity prices and the associated impact on inventory used to support crude and condensate business primarily affected the segment’s performance.

Terminals:  Kinder Morgan generated quarterly EBDA of $267 million from the segment, higher than the year-ago period’s $259 million. Liquid terminal expansions and higher rates on Jones Act tankers boosted Terminals. Additionally, the bulk business benefited from increased petroleum coke and fertilizer volumes. 

CO2: The segment’s EBDA was $162 million, down from the year-ago quarter’s $175 million. The underperformance was primarily due to lower CO2 sales volumes.

Operational Highlights

Expenses related to operations and maintenance totaled $790 million, up from $738 million registered a year ago. Total operating costs, expenses, and other expenditures fell to $2,684 million from $2,969 million.

Distributable Cash Flow (DCF)

Kinder Morgan’s third-quarter DCF was $1.09 billion compared with $1.09 billion a year ago.

Balance Sheet

As of Sept. 30, 2024, KMI reported $108 million in cash and cash equivalents. At the quarter's end, its long-term debt amounted to $29.8 billion.

Guidance

For 2024, Kinder Morgan projected a net income of $2.7 billion ($1.22 per share), up 15% from the 2023 level. It plans to declare dividends of $1.15 per share, up 2% from the previous figure. The company also projected DCF of $5 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of $8.16 billion, both up 8% year over year.

However, due to lower commodity prices and delays in RNG facilities, Kinder Morgan now expects Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS to be about 2% and 4% below budget, respectively. Despite this, full-year Adjusted EBITDA and EPS are expected to rise 5% and 9%, respectively, with a Net Debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio of 4.0x.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

It turns out, estimates revision flatlined during the past month.

VGM Scores

At this time, Kinder Morgan has a subpar Growth Score of D, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. Following the exact same course, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Kinder Morgan has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.


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