Insider Selling: Kirby (NYSE:KEX) COO Sells $1,647,111.91 in Stock

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) COO Christian O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of KEX stock opened at $148.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $7.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $139.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $125.59. Kirby Corporation has a one year low of $79.51 and a one year high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $832.57 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 10.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BTIG Research upped their target price on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.20.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Kirby during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in Kirby by 2,600.0% during 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 position in Kirby by 537.5% during 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. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kirby by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

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.