Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to 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.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,572,680.02. The trade was a 27.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the vice president owned 9 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326.33. This represents a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 537.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 182.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kirby Price Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $137.98 on Wednesday. Kirby has a one year low of $79.51 and a one year high of $157.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $144.09 and a 200 day moving average of $131.19. The company has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.23, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.The company 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 company earned $1.33 EPS. Kirby’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kirby will post 6.99 EPS for the current year.

Kirby Company 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.