Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup upped their price target on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research upped their price target on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.20.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of KEX opened at $143.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $129.69. Kirby 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 PE ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.81.

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, 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 business had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. Kirby’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. Sell-side analysts predict that Kirby will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the sale, 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total value of $1,647,111.91. 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 worth $2,579,036. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake 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 worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% 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.