Kinder Morgan beat Q1 EPS by 20%, earning a CNBC final trade nod. Goldman Sachs and Jefferies also got analyst price-target hikes. The catalyst stack for each pick.
CNBC's Halftime Report Final Trades segment on Friday featured four stocks. The most concrete catalyst was Kinder Morgan, which posted a first-quarter earnings beat earlier in the week.
The pipeline operator reported net income of 48 cents a share, topping the 40-cent consensus estimate. Revenue reached $4.828 billion, also above the $4.598 billion analyst forecast. Stephanie Link, chief investment strategist and portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors, recommended the stock as her final trade.
Kinder Morgan's revenue comes largely from fee-based, long-term transportation and storage contracts. That structure limits direct exposure to natural gas price volatility, a feature that attracts income-focused investors. The stock carries an AlphaScala score of 58 out of 100, a Moderate label that reflects a balanced risk-reward profile. The company's second-quarter earnings are scheduled for July.
Malcolm Ethridge, managing partner at Capital Area Planning Group, selected Goldman Sachs. JP Morgan analyst Kian Abouhossein maintained a Neutral rating on the investment bank. He raised the price target from $826 to $900, citing momentum in the wealth management division and a recovering investment banking franchise. Abouhossein's revised target implies roughly 8% upside from Friday's close. Goldman Sachs has an AlphaScala score of 53, classified as Mixed.
Rob Sechan, CEO of NewEdge Wealth, named Jefferies Financial Group. Oppenheimer analyst Chris Kotowski maintained an Outperform rating on the mid-tier investment bank and lifted the price target from $72 to $87. Kotowski highlighted strength in Jefferies' advisory and capital markets businesses. The firm has captured market share in M&A advisory. Deal flow has rebounded from the 2022 trough.
Brad Gerstner, founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital, picked SK Hynix. The South Korean memory chipmaker is a cyclical bet on AI-driven demand for high-bandwidth memory. Gerstner's firm focuses on technology growth, and the pick signals confidence in the semiconductor cycle.
Kinder Morgan's fee-based model offers predictable cash flows. Goldman Sachs and Jefferies depend on deal-flow recovery. SK Hynix swings with semiconductor demand. The three positions share no common catalyst.
Among the group, Kinder Morgan's quarterly results provide the most immediate fundamental anchor. The next scheduled check on the thesis is the July earnings report. The analyst targets on Goldman Sachs and Jefferies offer price-based guideposts for those positions.
Prepared with AlphaScala research tooling and grounded in primary market data: live prices, fundamentals, SEC filings, hedge-fund holdings, and insider activity. Each story is checked against AlphaScala publishing rules before release. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.