Brokerages Set Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Price Target at $162.20

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $162.20.

KEX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on Kirby from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America boosted 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 upgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,726 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president owned 8,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,257,671.73. The trade was a 16.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,572,680.02. The trade was a 27.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036 in the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KEX. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in Kirby by 2,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 537.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $149.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $141.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.64. Kirby has a one year low of $79.51 and a one year high of $157.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.59.

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

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.