Kirby (NYSE:KEX) VP Sells $171,180.00 in Stock

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) VP Kurt Niemietz sold 1,500 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.12, for a total transaction of $171,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $109,326.96. The trade was a 61.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Kirby Trading Down 1.1%

KEX traded down $1.28 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $112.44. 91,106 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 729,084. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.87. Kirby Corporation has a 12-month low of $79.51 and a 12-month high of $125.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.74 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $95.71 and a 200 day moving average of $102.08.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The shipping company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $871.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $843.29 million. Kirby had a net margin of 9.22% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kirby Corporation will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kirby in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Kirby from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $110.00 to $128.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $109.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in Kirby by 3.1% during the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 3,236 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 394 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in Kirby by 67.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 284 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in Kirby by 12.8% during the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,003 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in Kirby by 1.8% during the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,809 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.