Analysts Set Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Target Price at $123.80

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.80.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In related news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.30, for a total value of $294,444.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $978,045.90. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,955,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 7,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,980. The trade was a 66.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,354 shares of company stock valued at $3,275,455 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 1,247.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,373 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,481,000 after purchasing an additional 11,455 shares during the period. Samlyn Capital LLC lifted its position in Kirby by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 319,752 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $38,284,000 after buying an additional 23,086 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in Kirby by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,683 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $818,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 35,353 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $4,328,000 after buying an additional 7,629 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 70.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 74,875 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $8,965,000 after acquiring an additional 31,011 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Trading Down 2.6 %

NYSE:KEX opened at $104.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.67. Kirby has a 1 year low of $74.88 and a 1 year high of $132.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $118.28 and a 200-day moving average of $119.43.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.08. Kirby had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 9.43%. The firm had revenue of $831.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $824.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. Kirby’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Kirby will post 5.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kirby Company Profile

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.