Institutions’ substantial holdings in Kinder Morgan implies that they have significant influence over the company’s share price
A total of 19 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership
13% of Kinder Morgan is held by insiders
Every investor in Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 67% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. Hence, having a considerable amount of institutional money invested in a company is often regarded as a desirable trait.
In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Kinder Morgan.
See our latest analysis for Kinder Morgan
NYSE:KMI Ownership Breakdown February 16th 2025
Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it’s included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.
We can see that Kinder Morgan does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company’s stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Kinder Morgan, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
NYSE:KMI Earnings and Revenue Growth February 16th 2025
Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Kinder Morgan is not owned by hedge funds. Because actions speak louder than words, we consider it a good sign when insiders own a significant stake in a company. In Kinder Morgan’s case, its Top Key Executive, Richard Kinder, is the largest shareholder, holding 12% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 9.1% and 7.2%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.
After doing some more digging, we found that the top 19 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company.
While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock’s expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.
The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.
Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.
It seems insiders own a significant proportion of Kinder Morgan, Inc.. Insiders own US$7.4b worth of shares in the US$59b company. That’s quite meaningful. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.
With a 20% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Kinder Morgan. While this group can’t necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Case in point: We’ve spotted 2 warning signs for Kinder Morgan you should be aware of, and 1 of them is concerning.
Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Jill Bates is a writer on the Modernist Podcast. She writes politics, health, business and finance. She also has a passion for photography, travel and food.
