Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

KEX has been the topic of several other reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kirby has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.20.

Kirby Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $131.34 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $139.54 and a 200-day moving average of $136.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.84. Kirby has a 1-year low of $79.51 and a 1-year high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 10.18%.The business had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $870.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,680.02. The trade was a 27.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total transaction of $99,916.86. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 9 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,326.33. The trade was a 98.69% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,965 shares of company stock worth $2,328,749. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kirby by 30.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 491,355 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $49,632,000 after buying an additional 114,618 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Kirby by 152.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 182,565 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $18,441,000 after acquiring an additional 110,320 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Kirby by 68.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,096 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,279,000 after acquiring an additional 8,174 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Kirby by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 96,565 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,951,000 after acquiring an additional 3,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 52,000.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,084 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 2,080 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Company 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.