AlphaQuest LLC Trims Holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

AlphaQuest LLC reduced its position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,980 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 4,482 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $844,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Kirby by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,265 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $17,418,000 after buying an additional 30,713 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc grew 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 worth $4,328,000 after purchasing an additional 7,629 shares during the period. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 51.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advantage Alpha Capital Partners LP now owns 48,693 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $5,961,000 after purchasing an additional 16,497 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 112.0% during the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 382,835 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $40,504,000 after purchasing an additional 202,272 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 29,659 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,143,000 after purchasing an additional 5,804 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on KEX shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $95.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $86.02 and a 52 week high of $132.21. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $105.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kirby 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.