Kirby Corporation $KEX Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP cut its position in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 37.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,404,714 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 851,953 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Kirby were worth $186,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Kirby by 2,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kirby by 537.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Kirby by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 182.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Trading Up 0.3%

KEX opened at $149.21 on Thursday. Kirby Corporation has a 52 week low of $79.51 and a 52 week high of $157.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.37. The firm has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.83.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.The firm had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $832.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Kirby Corporation will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 9 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326.33. This trade represents a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,572,680.02. The trade was a 27.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on KEX. Citigroup lifted their target price on Kirby from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

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.