Hello, Thanks for signing up for MarketBeat Daily Ratings—we’re excited to have you on board. Every weekday, you’ll get a curated summary of new “Buy” and “Sell” ratings from Wall Street’s top-rated analysts, the latest stock news, and bonus investing content—all delivered straight to your inbox. You’re just two quick steps away from completing your sign-up: 1. Make sure our emails go to your inboxGmail users:
Mobile: Tap the three dots (…) in the top right and select Move to Inbox or Move to Primary
Desktop: Click the folder icon at the top and select Move to Inbox or Primary Apple Mail users:
Tap our email address at the top (next to From: on mobile), then select Add to VIP Other providers:
Reply to this message and add newsletters@analystratings.net to your contacts 2. Confirm your subscriptionClick this link to confirm your subscription. This verifies your account and ensures you receive your newsletters without interruption instead of getting stuck in your spam filter. Confirm your subscription here. After you confirm, feel free to download our popular free report, "7 Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever" with this link. Thanks again for subscribing—we look forward to being part of your investing journey. 
Matthew Paulson
Founder and CEO, MarketBeat. P.S. If you didn’t mean to subscribe, no problem—you can unsubscribe here.
Special Report
Pipelines and Automation: 2 Energy Plays Built for Any Oil PriceReported by Chris Markoch. Originally Published: 4/26/2026. 
Key Points
- Kinder Morgan’s fee-based pipeline model provides stable cash flow largely insulated from oil price swings.
- Halliburton benefits from demand for efficiency-driven oilfield services, especially in lower price environments.
- Together, KMI and HAL offer diversified energy exposure with income and growth potential across market cycles.
- Special Report: Elon Musk already made me a “wealthy man”
As recent events show, oil prices are volatile, swinging with politics, supply decisions and shifts in global demand. That makes many energy stocks cyclical, particularly oil and gas companies focused on drilling and exploration. But some companies have business models that hold up even when oil prices fall. Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) and Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) are two such examples. One owns the pipes that move energy; the other provides the services that make wells perform better. Together, they offer a way to stay in energy without betting everything on daily crude price swings. Why "Built for Any Oil Price" Matters
Most energy companies' fortunes rise and fall with oil prices. When crude rises, much of the benefit flows straight to the bottom line; when crude drops, revenue typically follows. But some business models reduce that exposure. Kinder Morgan, for example, earns most of its revenue from fixed fees — customers pay to use its pipelines regardless of oil prices. Halliburton sells technology and services that help producers get more out of every well; when prices are low, producers demand more efficiency, keeping Halliburton's services in steady demand. Both companies offer stability that pure oil producers generally can't match. Kinder Morgan: The Pipeline GiantKinder Morgan is one of North America's largest energy infrastructure companies. It owns roughly 79,000 miles of pipelines and about 700 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage. That scale matters: U.S. natural gas demand hit record levels in 2025 and is expected to continue growing, and Kinder Morgan sits in the middle of that flow. The company's fee-based model is its biggest strength. The vast majority of KMI's cash flow is fee-based and therefore not directly exposed to commodity prices, so a drop in oil prices barely dents earnings. The company's most recent earnings report underlined that point. KMI reported adjusted EPS of 48 cents, a 41% increase from Q1 2025, beating analyst estimates of 40 cents by about 20%. Revenue of $4.83 billion was also well ahead of expectations, with both figures higher year over year. KMI's expansion backlog grew to $10.1 billion, driven by power and LNG demand. With Moody's upgrading its credit rating and leverage at its lowest level since 2014, the company's financial foundation looks solid. The analyst forecasts on MarketBeat show an average rating of Hold on KMI and an average price target of $34.20, suggesting roughly 9–10% upside from current levels. That potential upside comes with limited downside risk thanks to fee-based cash flows. The board recently approved an increased quarterly dividend of 29 cents per share, or $1.19 annualized — a roughly 2% increase versus 2025. At recent prices near $31, the yield is about 3.7%. Halliburton: The Oilfield Efficiency PlayHalliburton is the world's second-largest oilfield services company. It provides drilling technology, completion tools and reservoir services that producers rely on. When producers want to squeeze more output from existing wells — especially when prices are tight — they often call Halliburton. The company delivered a strong earnings beat on April 21. For Q1 2026, Halliburton reported adjusted EPS of 55 cents, beating consensus by about 10.6%, with revenue of $5.4 billion, up 1.8%. Net income rose to $461 million for the quarter. HAL has now beaten estimates in three of the last four quarters, reinforcing a pattern of conservative analyst forecasts and consistent outperformance. The analyst forecasts on MarketBeat give Halliburton a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.73. With the stock near $40, that implies modest near-term upside; the "Moderate Buy" consensus reflects confidence in longer-term earnings growth. Halliburton paid a 17-cent per share quarterly dividend in Q1 2026 and repurchased roughly $100 million of common stock during the quarter. The annualized dividend of 68 cents per share yields about 1.7% at current prices. The mix of buybacks and dividends shows management returning cash to shareholders even amid macro uncertainty. One risk to note: geopolitical tensions in the Middle East hurt some international results. At the same time, Latin America revenue grew 22% in Q1, showing meaningful regional diversification. |
Post a Comment
Post a Comment