Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP) reported earnings on Oct. 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Kinder Morgan Energy Partners beat expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased and GAAP loss per share dropped.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 Kinder Morgan Energy Partners reported revenue of $2.34 billion. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for net sales of $2.18 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.20 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at $0.57. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.60 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.06 for Q3 against -$0.25 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 46.1%, 780 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 25.6%, 520 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 16.2%, 640 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.49 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.58.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $8.51 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.04.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,453 members out of 1,504 rating the stock outperform, and 51 members rating it underperform. Among 431 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 415 give Kinder Morgan Energy Partners a green thumbs-up, and 16 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is hold, with an average price target of $88.08.

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