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

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $163.20.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective 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 note on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total value of $99,916.86. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 9 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,326.33. This trade represents a 98.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total value of $1,647,111.91. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,965 shares of company stock worth $2,328,749. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,617,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $178,172,000 after acquiring an additional 47,099 shares during the period. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC lifted its position in Kirby by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC now owns 87,444 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,635,000 after purchasing an additional 22,013 shares during the period. Strs Ohio lifted its position in Kirby by 4,237.3% in the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 57,990 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,706,000 after purchasing an additional 56,653 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $618,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $81,355,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $135.60 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.84. Kirby has a twelve month low of $79.51 and a twelve month high of $157.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $138.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

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 net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The business had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $870.38 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. On average, research analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current 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.