Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Invests $800,000 in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,881 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $800,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 182.9% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $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% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX stock opened at $139.02 on Friday. Kirby Corporation has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The company has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $138.41 and a 200 day moving average of $137.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on KEX. Weiss Ratings raised Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America upped their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.