Kinder Morgan Rises on Executive RSU Settlement as $470M Volume Ranks 229th

On August 4, 2025, Kinder Morgan (KMI) rose 0.64% to $28.06, with a trading volume of $0.47 billion, ranking 229th in the market. The stock’s performance was influenced by an insider transaction involving restricted stock units (RSUs). Vice President and General Counsel Catherine C. James settled 51,994 RSUs into Class P common shares on July 31, 2025. To meet tax obligations, the company withheld 19,951 shares at the closing price of $28.06, leaving James with a net gain of 32,043 shares. Post-transaction, she directly owns 142,604 shares, reflecting continued equity alignment with management. The activity, a routine settlement of vested RSUs, had no discretionary market impact but signaled sustained executive ownership.

Analysts highlighted the neutral market implications of the transaction, noting that such settlements typically indicate no active trading intent. The transaction’s scale—32,043 shares—was deemed immaterial to KMI’s daily volume of ~1.3 million shares. Governance experts emphasized that the move reinforced management’s alignment with shareholders without altering control structures or incentive frameworks. Meanwhile, Wolfe Research upgraded KMI to “Outperform” on July 25, setting a $31 price target, while the mean target across 18 analysts stood at $31.76, implying a 13% potential upside. The stock’s 2025 YTD gain of 2.6% lagged the S&P 500’s 6.1% but outperformed the midstream sector’s 2.1% rise.

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