** Shares of pipeline operator Kinder Morgan KMI.N rises 1.9% to $29.13 in trading after the bell
** Kinder Morgan beats Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter profit, helped by higher volumes of natural gas transported through its pipelines
** Co posts an adjusted profit of 39 cents per share for the three months ended December 31, compared with analysts' estimate of 37 cents per share - LSEG
** KMI says it transported about 48,353 billion British thermal units of natural gas per day in the quarter, compared with 44,507 billion Btu per day a year ago
** As of last close, KMI up nearly 4% YTD
(Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru)
((Pritam.Biswas@thomsonreuters.com))