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Monday’s Bonus Article

Insiders Buy Natural Gas Stocks: 2 for the Watchlist

Authored by Thomas Hughes. Published: 12/15/2025. 

Key Points

• Kinder Morgan is well-positioned to benefit from a growing pipeline of projects, with many coming online over the next two years.
• NextDecade is an up-and-coming LNG liquefaction company that may become a takeover target once its primary projects are operational.
• Insiders are buying these LNG stocks, well-positioned to benefit from today’s demand increases.

Insiders are buying natural gas stocks because natural gas is critical to the green transition and global energy security. The takeaway is that international trends are driving demand surges that should benefit midstream operators like Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) and NextDecade (NASDAQ: NEXT).

As liquefiers, storers and transporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), these companies are well-positioned to benefit from a growing number of long-term contracts that support revenue growth, cash flow and capital returns. That visibility has attracted broad market support, as the data show, and points to potential share-price gains in calendar year 2026. 

Kinder Morgan Insiders Make Significant Buys in Q4

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Kinder Morgan insider activity is notable for several reasons, including the company’s history, the identity of the buyers and the size of the purchases. Kinder Morgan insiders own roughly 12% of the company and have a record of active buying.

Over the past three years, insider transactions included sporadic purchases offset by a larger share of sales, primarily from lower-level executives. The recent Q4 buying—one of the busiest stretches in years—included purchases by a director and founding chairman Richard D. Kinder. Mr. Kinder’s purchases pushed his total to more than $26 million in additional stock, adding roughly 1 million shares to the roughly 245.2 million he already controlled.

KMI’s insider buying followed the October earnings release by about a week. In that report, the company affirmed a robust outlook and unveiled a growing project pipeline exceeding $9.3 billion. The pipeline includes multiple LNG projects that expand its footprint, strengthen its network, increase storage and liquefaction capacity and enhance its ability to serve export markets.

Institutional ownership is also strong—institutions hold more than 60% of the stock and were net buyers in every quarter this year. 

Analyst trends reinforce that support. As of mid-December, the consensus of 17 analysts is a Moderate Buy with roughly 18% upside. Price-target trends sit above that consensus—about 20% higher—suggesting additional upside as projects near completion and new projects are added to the backlog in 2026. 

NextDecade Is a Bargain in December, Set Up to Rebound in 2026

NextDecade is a smaller LNG player focused on liquefaction. It is positioned to grow materially over the coming years and could become an acquisition target. The company is expected to begin commercial operations in 2026, with meaningful revenue and potential profitability following as projects ramp—possibly by late 2027 when its primary project comes online.

Until those projects are producing, a major shareholder—Hanwha Group—has been buying shares and providing meaningful market support. Hanwha, based in South Korea, says it is investing to secure its energy supply chain, citing LNG as critical. Hanwha owns about 40.1 million shares, or roughly 15.1%. Company insiders have also added shares in 2025.

Institutional support exists but weakened late in the year. While institutions own about 60% of the stock, they were net sellers in Q3 and Q4, with selling activity accelerating in Q4.

That institutional selling contributed to the stock’s late-year decline and creates a potential buying opportunity. Trading near $5, NextDecade sits near long-term lows inside a support zone that has historically produced strong rebounds. 

Analysts’ estimates reflect mixed sentiment. Of the six analysts with current estimates, the consensus rating is Hold, but the average price target implies roughly 65% upside. Achieving that target would mark a meaningful shift for the stock and lift it above multiple moving averages, though it may take time.

Price action could retest the low end of the support zone and may do so in early 2026. The key catalyst for share-price gains would be the start of operations in 2026 and the subsequent ramping of revenue and cash flow. 

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Further Reading: Trade this between 9:30 and 10:45 am EST(From Base Camp Trading)