Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Sets New 52-Week High at $101.02

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $101.02 and last traded at $100.85, with a volume of 67267 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KEX has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Kirby from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Monday, February 5th.

Kirby Stock Down 0.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $89.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.29. The company has a market cap of $5.80 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The shipping company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.01. Kirby had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 7.12%. The company had revenue of $799.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $778.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 4.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,413 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.68, for a total value of $119,652.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,651 shares in the company, valued at $901,926.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,828 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.60, for a total value of $145,508.80. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $79,600. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,413 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.68, for a total transaction of $119,652.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $901,926.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 55,931 shares of company stock valued at $4,883,929. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in Kirby by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 17,847 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,388,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in Kirby by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 26,157 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,166,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Kirby by 5.9% during the third quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 5,238 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $434,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in Kirby by 0.9% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 32,957 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,729,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Kirby by 3.8% during the third quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 8,565 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.