Research Analysts Set Expectations for Kirby Q4 Earnings

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Kirby in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the shipping company will earn $1.63 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.66. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $6.57 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q1 2026 earnings at $1.53 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.76 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.77 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.60 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.77 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $7.06 EPS.

KEX has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Kirby from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $110.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Kirby from $109.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Kirby from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.40.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of KEX stock traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $109.21. 47,835 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 731,778. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.50. Kirby has a 52-week low of $79.51 and a 52-week high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The shipping company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $871.16 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $843.29 million. Kirby had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Kirby by 2.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,667,853 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $472,982,000 after buying an additional 134,261 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Kirby by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $258,900,000 after acquiring an additional 959,209 shares during the period. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its stake in Kirby by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,165,929 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $245,638,000 after purchasing an additional 211,231 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 8.5% in the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,570,001 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $131,017,000 after purchasing an additional 122,733 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Kirby by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,300,103 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $131,323,000 after buying an additional 107,240 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 1,923 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.83, for a total transaction of $207,357.09. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,670,071.04. This trade represents a 11.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.