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Investing.com -- Fitch Ratings has upgraded Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI), Inc. and its subsidiaries’ Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings to ’BBB+’ from ’BBB’ with a Stable outlook, the agency announced Monday.
The upgrade reflects Fitch’s expectation that Kinder Morgan will maintain leverage below 4.0x, supported by management’s commitment to fund growth primarily through internally generated cash flow and steady business performance.
Kinder Morgan’s high percentage of take-or-pay contracts, which account for 60%-65% of total segment EBDA, provides stability to the company’s cash flows. The company’s $9.3 billion growth backlog includes long-term contracted projects expected to accelerate EBITDA growth over the forecast period.
Fitch expects Kinder Morgan’s leverage to be approximately 4.0x in 2025, move below that level in 2026, and remain under 4.0x throughout the forecast period. The company generates significant free cash flow after dividends, which Fitch believes will be prioritized toward leverage reduction.
The rating agency views Kinder Morgan’s large and diverse asset portfolio as supportive of its credit quality. As one of North America’s largest midstream infrastructure companies, Kinder Morgan operates across multiple business lines and serves all major supply and demand areas for oil, natural gas, and refined products.
While Kinder Morgan has some operations directly exposed to commodity prices, particularly in its CO2 business, the company follows a five-year laddered hedging plan to reduce volatility. The contribution from the CO2 segment has decreased from around 20% of segment EBDA in 2014 to less than 10% in the 2025 budget.
Fitch also affirmed Kinder Morgan’s Short-Term IDR and commercial paper rating at ’F2.’
For a potential future upgrade, Fitch would look for a meaningful increase in the percentage of EBITDA from long-term take-or-pay contracts or expectations that EBITDA leverage will be sustained below 3.2x.
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