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

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $163.20.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on KEX shares. Citigroup lifted 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. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $138.37 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.84. 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 has a 12 month low of $79.51 and a 12 month high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $922.40 million during 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%.Kirby’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 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in Kirby by 2,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 182.9% during the 1st 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. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 488.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 477 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 18.2% during the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $89,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Company Profile

Kirby Corporation is a marine transportation and engine-services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1921, the company operates primarily in the United States and is one of the largest domestic operators of tank barges.

Through its marine transportation business, Kirby transports bulk liquid products on the nation’s inland waterway system and along the U.S. coast. Its cargoes include refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, black oil, agricultural chemicals and other specialty liquids.