Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $163.00.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America raised their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Kirby from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 2.9% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,811 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 18.2% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Kirby by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,079 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Kirby by 34.2% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 890 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE KEX opened at $138.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.84. Kirby has a 52 week low of $79.51 and a 52 week high of $157.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $136.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.90.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $922.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $870.38 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation is a marine transportation and engine-services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1921, the company operates primarily in the United States and is one of the largest domestic operators of tank barges.

Through its marine transportation business, Kirby transports bulk liquid products on the nation’s inland waterway system and along the U.S. coast. Its cargoes include refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, black oil, agricultural chemicals and other specialty liquids.