Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) shares gapped down prior to trading on Thursday after BTIG Research lowered their price target on the stock from $140.00 to $135.00. The stock had previously closed at $128.13, but opened at $122.38. BTIG Research currently has a buy rating on the stock. Kirby shares last traded at $119.6460, with a volume of 489,054 shares traded.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Kirby from $131.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Kirby from $109.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $134.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kirby in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 10,413 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.42, for a total value of $1,118,564.46. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 11,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,263,259.20. This represents a 46.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 29,451 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.41, for a total value of $3,163,331.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 79,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,561,543.69. The trade was a 26.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 57,147 shares of company stock valued at $6,204,544. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Kirby News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat expectations — Kirby reported $1.68 EPS vs. $1.62 consensus, confirming improved profitability (net margin ~9.2%). Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported a record year: utilization improvement in inland marine, stronger coastal margins and a sequential +10% jump in power‑generation revenue; management also repurchased ~1.03M shares and paid down ~$130M of debt. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Power‑generation segment strength and marine pricing dynamics are driving the outlook, supporting upside if large project wins continue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Citigroup raised its price target to $147 with a Buy rating, signaling continued upside from some institutional analysts. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent inflows reported into KEX suggest fund buying helped bid the stock higher earlier in the week. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG trimmed its target to $135 but kept a Buy rating — still implying upside, though slightly less optimistic than peers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcripts are available (useful for modeling forward margins and backlog; see transcripts/slide deck). Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed estimates ($851.8M vs. ~$857.8M expected), which may temper enthusiasm given the stretched valuation after a recent run. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny — pieces asking whether KEX is “expensive for a reason” highlight investor concern that strong fundamentals must outpace a higher multiple to justify the price. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Kirby by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 3,236 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Kirby by 67.1% during the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 284 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 12.8% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,003 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 1.8% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,809 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $568,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kirby by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,733 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $117.00 and a 200-day moving average of $103.69. The company has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The shipping company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.06. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 10.54%.The business had revenue of $851.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $857.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kirby Corporation will post 6.57 EPS 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.