Kinder Morgan Inc. Stock Hold Recommendation Reiterated (KMI)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a hold with a ratings score of C+ . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, increase in net income and expanding profit margins. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, generally higher debt management risk and disappointing return on equity.

• EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• KMI's very impressive revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 1.7%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 59.0%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry. The net income increased by 41.9% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $155.00 million to $220.00 million.
• Net operating cash flow has increased to $868.00 million or 11.65% when compared to the same quarter last year. Despite an increase in cash flow, KINDER MORGAN INC's average is still marginally south of the industry average growth rate of 20.23%.
• The debt-to-equity ratio is very high at 2.48 and currently higher than the industry average, implying increased risk associated with the management of debt levels within the company. Along with this, the company manages to maintain a quick ratio of 0.41, which clearly demonstrates the inability to cover short-term cash needs.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. In comparison to the other companies in the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry and the overall market, KINDER MORGAN INC's return on equity is significantly below that of the industry average and is below that of the S&P 500.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. owns and operates energy transportation and storage assets in the United States and Canada. The company operates in six segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines KMP, CO2 KMP, Terminals KMP, Kinder Morgan Canada KMP, and Other. Kinder Morgan has a market cap of $40.51 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 69.8, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 9.9% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Kinder Morgan Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

Exclusive Offer: Jim Cramer's 'go-to' small/mid-cap guru Bryan Ashenberg only buys stocks he thinks could return 50-100%. See his top picks for 14-days FREE.