KINDER MORGAN ANNOUNCES EXPECTED 60% DIVIDEND INCREASE FOR 2018 AND PROJECTS 25% ANNUAL DIVIDEND GROWTH FROM 2018 THROUGH 2020
Authorizes $2 Billion Share Buyback Program
HOUSTON, July 19, 2017 - Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) today announced that its board of directors approved a cash dividend of $0.125 per share for the quarter ($0.50 annualized) payable on August 15, 2017, to common shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 31, 2017. Additionally, as result of substantial balance sheet improvement achieved since the end of 2015, KMI is announcing multiple steps to return significant value to shareholders. First, KMI announced it expects to declare an annual dividend of $0.80 per share for 2018, a 60 percent increase from the expected 2017 dividend. The first 2018 increase is expected to be the Q1 2018 dividend. Additionally, the company plans to increase its dividend to $1.00 per share in 2019 and $1.25 per share in 2020, a growth rate of 25 percent annually. Finally, the board authorized a $2 billion share buyback program, which represents approximately 5 percent of KMI’s current market capitalization. KMI expects to declare dividends of $0.50 per share for 2017 and use cash in excess of dividend payments to fully fund growth investments and further strengthen its balance sheet.
“We are pleased to fulfill our pledge to return value to shareholders through this combination of an attractive and growing dividend as well as a sizable share repurchase program. In essence, we expect to return substantially all of our operating cash flow in excess of growth capital needs to our shareholders through increasing the dividend and repurchasing shares, while maintaining robust coverage of the dividend,” said Richard D. Kinder, executive chairman. “This action comes on the heels of our successful initial public offering of our Canadian business, which in combination with the Elba, Utopia and SNG joint ventures drove much of our over $5.8 billion net debt reduction since the end of the third quarter of 2015.”
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