Kinder Morgan impresses investors with an impressive total shareholder return.

The stock market has repeatedly proven to be a place full of surprises. While index funds offer many investors a reliable way to keep pace with overall market movements, there are companies that manage to outperform the market. A remarkable example of this is Kinder Morgan. The company's stock gained a substantial 44% over the past year, surpassing the market, which showed a growth of about 34% – not including dividends. Over a three-year period, the company enjoyed an increase of 34%, pleasing long-term shareholders. In just the past week, Kinder Morgan was able to increase its market capitalization by an impressive $2.4 billion. This raises the question of whether the underlying management of the company is responsible for this long-term success. Looking back, the company has achieved impressive stock performance despite a decline in earnings per share (EPS) of 1.5% over the past twelve months. This could suggest that Kinder Morgan is currently focusing more on other areas of the business. It is also noteworthy that dividend payouts have not been increased, which might have typically led to a lesser rise in the stock price. Nevertheless, the company's revenue fell by 10% over the year, which would usually result in a price drop – yet market movements remain unpredictable. Another positive aspect is the significant insider purchases in the last quarter, which can be seen as an indicator of internal confidence in the company's potential. However, revenue and profit trends remain important indicators for corporate valuation. In addition to stock price gains, it is important for investors to also consider the Total Shareholder Return (TSR), which includes dividends and other capital measures. For Kinder Morgan, this TSR was an impressive 54% last year. This remarkable result surpasses the aforementioned stock price increase and clearly shows that the total dividends paid have substantially boosted the TSR. Throughout the year, Kinder Morgan shareholders were able to record a TSR of 54%, including dividends. This is a positive signal for the long-term outlook, possibly indicating robust business performance. Nonetheless, it is important to pay attention to other corporate metrics in addition to stock price development. Despite recent successes, there are also several warning signs at Kinder Morgan that should be monitored.