3 Things Kinder Morgan Inc Investors Should Keep an Eye on This Quarter

This year has been a frustrating one for Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) investors, considering that shares are down more than 9% since January. That decline is a bit of a head-scratcher since the company's underlying operations have outperformed expectations, enabling it to remain slightly ahead of pace on its full-year guidance. Furthermore, the pipeline giant completed the repair work on its balance sheet, which positions it to ramp up cash distributions to shareholders starting next year. While shares initially moved higher after unveiling that plan, they've come back down and currently trade at a ridiculously cheap valuation.

Because of what it has already accomplished this year, investors don't expect the company to report anything needle-moving when it announces third-quarter results later this week. That said, for patient investors, this report could further confirm that the company is heading in the right direction, as long as it shows progress in the following three areas.

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Source: Fool.com