15,480 Shares in Kirby Corporation $KEX Bought by Freestone Grove Partners LP

Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 15,480 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KEX. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in Kirby by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,617,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $178,172,000 after acquiring an additional 47,099 shares in the last quarter. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kirby by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC now owns 87,444 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,635,000 after purchasing an additional 22,013 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its holdings in Kirby by 4,237.3% during the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 57,990 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,706,000 after purchasing an additional 56,653 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the second quarter valued at about $2,649,000. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the second quarter valued at about $9,182,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $139.02 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $138.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.68. Kirby Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $79.51 and a fifty-two week high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $870.38 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Kirby Corporation will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on KEX shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Bank of America increased their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.20.

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.