Kirby Corporation $KEX Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 304,211 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 31,446 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $33,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Kirby by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 52,718 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $5,808,000 after acquiring an additional 2,068 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Kirby by 45.8% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 6,996 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $771,000 after acquiring an additional 2,196 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Kirby by 558.9% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,107 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $122,000 after acquiring an additional 939 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Kirby by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 19,416 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,139,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $143.44 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.85. Kirby Corporation has a twelve month low of $79.51 and a twelve month high of $157.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $140.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $126.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 10.62%. Kirby’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kirby news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.01, for a total value of $250,287.26. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,257,671.73. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.34, for a total transaction of $1,493,721.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,287 shares in the company, valued at $1,493,721.58. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 66,130 shares of company stock worth $8,912,325. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.20.

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.