Castleark Management LLC Invests $806,000 in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Castleark Management LLC bought a new position in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 5,930 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in Kirby by 2,600.0% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Kirby by 537.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 50.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 182.9% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX opened at $139.26 on Thursday. Kirby Corporation has a 52-week low of $79.51 and a 52-week high of $157.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $138.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.75. The company has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $870.38 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kirby Corporation will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on KEX. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America upped their price target on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kirby presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.20.

Kirby 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.