Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 67,531 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,182,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings 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. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 18.2% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Kirby

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its 2026 EPS forecast to $7.07 from $6.97 and increased its Q3 and Q4 2026 estimates to $1.96 and $1.94, respectively. Both quarterly forecasts were raised by $0.06 and $0.03.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term expectations also improved: FY2027 EPS was lifted to $8.57 from $8.27, while FY2028 EPS increased to $9.20 from $9.05. Zacks also raised estimates for Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028 and Q2 2028.
• Positive Sentiment: The largest quarterly increase was for Q3 2027, raised to $2.41 from $2.30. Q2 2028 EPS was increased to $2.35 from $2.17, and Q4 2027 to $2.23 from $2.16.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ FY2026 forecast of $7.07 remains below the broader analyst consensus of $7.28, although the company recently exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations and reported 7.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

Kirby Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of KEX stock opened at $138.65 on Friday. 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 cap of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.84. Kirby Corporation has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $138.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.72.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $922.40 million for 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 for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kirby Corporation will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.20.

Kirby 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.