Zacks Research Weighs in on Kirby’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:KEX)

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Kirby in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the shipping company will post earnings per share of $1.96 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.90. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $7.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.94 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $7.07 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.18 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.41 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.57 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.04 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.35 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.20 EPS.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 10.18%.The business had revenue of $922.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on KEX. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.20.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $135.60 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $138.94 and a 200 day moving average of $136.65. Kirby has a 12-month low of $79.51 and a 12-month high of $157.69.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth $18,918,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new stake in Kirby in the 2nd quarter valued at about $69,359,000. Kendall Capital Management purchased a new position in Kirby in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $231,000. Commerce Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $467,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,875,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kirby news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total transaction of $99,916.86. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 9 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,326.33. This trade represents a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,965 shares of company stock valued at $2,328,749. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.