Brokerages Set Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) PT at $146.20

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $146.20.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KEX. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total value of $99,916.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 9 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326.33. The trade was a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Kirby by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,023 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,798,000. Bull Harbor Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 1st quarter worth approximately $243,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Kirby by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,716 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,354,000 after buying an additional 1,768 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Kirby by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 27,966 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,715,000 after buying an additional 4,694 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of KEX stock opened at $145.15 on Friday. Kirby has a 12-month low of $79.51 and a 12-month high of $157.69. The company has a market capitalization of $7.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $142.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. Kirby had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 10.62%. The firm had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $832.57 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Kirby will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.