Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Price Target Raised to $170.00

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Citigroup from $165.00 to $170.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the shipping company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 29.44% from the stock’s previous close.

KEX has been the subject of a number of other reports. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.20.

Kirby Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE KEX traded down $1.00 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $131.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 428,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 702,232. Kirby has a twelve month low of $79.51 and a twelve month high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.86 and a 200 day moving average of $136.29.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.04. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.49%. The company had revenue of $922.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $870.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.01, for a total transaction of $250,287.26. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,257,671.73. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KEX. Maseco LLP bought a new position in Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Kirby by 537.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kirby by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Kirby by 182.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Kirby

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.