Analysts Set Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Price Target at $130.50

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $129.40.

KEX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. BTIG Research decreased their target price on Kirby from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kirby in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday.

More Kirby News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat expectations — Kirby reported $1.68 EPS vs. $1.62 consensus, confirming improved profitability (net margin ~9.2%). Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported a record year: utilization improvement in inland marine, stronger coastal margins and a sequential +10% jump in power‑generation revenue; management also repurchased ~1.03M shares and paid down ~$130M of debt. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Power‑generation segment strength and marine pricing dynamics are driving the outlook, supporting upside if large project wins continue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Citigroup raised its price target to $147 with a Buy rating, signaling continued upside from some institutional analysts. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent inflows reported into KEX suggest fund buying helped bid the stock higher earlier in the week. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG trimmed its target to $135 but kept a Buy rating — still implying upside, though slightly less optimistic than peers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcripts are available (useful for modeling forward margins and backlog; see transcripts/slide deck). Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed estimates ($851.8M vs. ~$857.8M expected), which may temper enthusiasm given the stretched valuation after a recent run. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny — pieces asking whether KEX is “expensive for a reason” highlight investor concern that strong fundamentals must outpace a higher multiple to justify the price. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kirby news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 29,451 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.41, for a total value of $3,163,331.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 79,709 shares in the company, valued at $8,561,543.69. The trade was a 26.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.29, for a total value of $299,437.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 10,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,138,744.25. The trade was a 20.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 57,147 shares of company stock worth $6,204,544 in the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KEX. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Kirby in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Kirby in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 366 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Price Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $117.41 on Friday. Kirby has a 12 month low of $79.51 and a 12 month high of $132.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50 day moving average is $117.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The shipping company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $851.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $857.82 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 10.55%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kirby will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation is a leading domestic maritime transporter of bulk liquid products in the United States. Through its Marine Transportation segment, the company operates one of North America’s largest fleets of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby’s fleet moves petrochemicals, black oil, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals along coastal and inland waterways, providing critical logistical support to energy, chemical and agricultural producers.

In addition to its marine operations, Kirby’s Distribution and Services segment offers diesel engine and power generation services, along with aftermarket parts sales.