What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for Kirby Q4 Earnings?

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Zacks Research boosted their Q4 2027 earnings per share estimates for Kirby in a report issued on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the shipping company will post earnings of $2.16 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.15. Zacks Research currently has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $6.99 per share.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on KEX. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kirby has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.20.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of KEX stock opened at $146.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $138.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.96. The stock has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.85. Kirby has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $832.57 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.Kirby’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in Kirby in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 34,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.05, for a total value of $4,441,467.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,241 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,776,242.05. The trade was a 25.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raj Kumar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total value of $398,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,353.80. This trade represents a 40.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 77,797 shares of company stock valued at $10,421,218. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

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.