Kirby Corporation $KEX Shares Purchased by Mountaineer Partners Management LLC

Mountaineer Partners Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 33.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 87,444 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 22,013 shares during the period. Kirby makes up approximately 5.4% of Mountaineer Partners Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $9,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $1,082,000. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $869,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Kirby by 57.8% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 636 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in Kirby by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 38,264 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $4,216,000 after acquiring an additional 9,064 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $95,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In related news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,572,680.02. This represents a 27.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $143.55 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $143.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.84. Kirby Corporation has a 52 week low of $79.51 and a 52 week high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.01 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 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 company had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KEX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.20.

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.