Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) VP William Matthew Woodruff Sells 3,750 Shares

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 3,750 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.25, for a total value of $409,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,804.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Kirby Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of KEX stock traded up $1.69 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $109.86. The stock had a trading volume of 138,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 419,539. Kirby Co. has a 12-month low of $69.22 and a 12-month high of $114.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $94.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The shipping company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.22. Kirby had a return on equity of 8.00% and a net margin of 8.01%. The company had revenue of $808.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $784.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KEX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Kirby from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Kirby in a report on Monday, April 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $126.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Kirby from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Monday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $116.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KEX. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby in the first quarter worth about $1,093,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Kirby during the first quarter worth approximately $2,252,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Kirby by 1.2% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in Kirby by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,214 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,074,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Kirby by 2.5% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 222,523 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $21,211,000 after purchasing an additional 5,526 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.