Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $162.20.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KEX shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total transaction of $99,916.86. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 9 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326.33. The trade was a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total value of $1,647,111.91. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 15,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 34.2% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 890 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 824.5% in the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 2,424 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Kirby in the first quarter valued at $281,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Kirby by 20.9% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,023 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of KEX opened at $143.75 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $141.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.43. The stock has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83. Kirby has a 12 month low of $79.51 and a 12 month high of $157.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kirby Company Profile

Kirby Corporation is a leading domestic maritime transporter of bulk liquid products in the United States. Through its Marine Transportation segment, the company operates one of North America’s largest fleets of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby’s fleet moves petrochemicals, black oil, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals along coastal and inland waterways, providing critical logistical support to energy, chemical and agricultural producers.

In addition to its marine operations, Kirby’s Distribution and Services segment offers diesel engine and power generation services, along with aftermarket parts sales.