XTX Topco Ltd Buys New Shares in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,950 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $735,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 27.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,265 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $17,418,000 after purchasing an additional 30,713 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Kirby by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 415,042 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $43,911,000 after buying an additional 10,486 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,749,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP lifted its stake in Kirby by 112.0% during the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 382,835 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $40,504,000 after acquiring an additional 202,272 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 29,659 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,143,000 after acquiring an additional 5,804 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KEX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Kirby from $133.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th.

Kirby Stock Performance

KEX opened at $95.18 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $99.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.70. Kirby Co. has a 1 year low of $83.94 and a 1 year high of $132.21. The stock has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.