Why Is KNTK Stock Up 5% After-Hours?

• Blackstone Inc. remains Kinetik’s largest shareholder with about a 15% stake as of midyear, according to Bloomberg. 
• In August, Kinetik posted record second-quarter 2026 figures and raised full-year adjusted core profit guidance to $1.04 billion–$1.1 billion from $970 million–$1.03 billion.
• Kinetik did not immediately respond to Stocktwits’s request for comment on the report.

Shares of Kinetik Holdings Inc. (KNTK) rallied 5% after-hours on Wednesday after reports that the Blackstone-backed Permian midstream company is weighing strategic options that could include a sale.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Kinetik is in the early stages of exploring alternatives and is working with advisers to prepare a potential sale process that could begin within weeks. No final decision has been made, and the company could remain independent, they said. Blackstone Inc. remains Kinetik’s largest shareholder with about a 15% stake as of midyear, the report noted.

Kinetik did not immediately respond to Stocktwits’s request for comment.

Kinetik Takeover Talks

The Houston- and Midland-based company gathers, processes and transports natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and water in the Delaware Basin. Takeover talks are not new. In February, the Financial Times reported that Occidental-backed Western Midstream Partners had approached Kinetik. Those talks did not produce a completed transaction.

The latest report lands after a run of stronger results. In August, Kinetik posted record second-quarter 2026 figures and raised full-year adjusted core profit guidance to $1.04 billion–$1.1 billion from $970 million–$1.03 billion. Adjusted core profit was $280.8 million in the quarter, with distributable cash flow of $194.9 million, and free cash flow of $105.2 million.

In May, Kinetik approved Kings Landing II, a new plant that processes raw natural gas from nearby wells so it can move through pipelines. The facility is designed to handle 300 million cubic feet of gas a day, 50% more than first planned. Once it comes online around mid-2028, Kinetik’s system-wide processing capacity would exceed 2.7 billion cubic feet a day.

Capital-spending guidance rose to about $560 million. Chief Executive Jamie Welch said first-half outperformance and a stronger second-half outlook drove the higher targets. The company expects processed gas volumes to exit 2026 near 2.2 billion cubic feet per day.

How Did KNTK Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around KNTK stock rose from ‘neutral’ to ‘bullish’ over the past 24 hours, while message volume was ‘low.’

KNTK stock has gained 51% year-to-date. 

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