Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Makes New Investment in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,868 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $303,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KEX. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,537,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $214,000. Premier Fund Managers Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 11,850 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,485,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 699,052 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $85,585,000 after buying an additional 152,146 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KEX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kirby Stock Down 1.2 %

Kirby stock opened at $98.88 on Wednesday. Kirby Co. has a fifty-two week low of $88.75 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $104.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.38. The company has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. Research analysts expect that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 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.