Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Stock Gets Price Target Increase from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $200.00 to $210.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the shipping company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 44.31% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on KEX. Citigroup reduced their target price on Kirby from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.43.

Kirby Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Kirby stock traded down $0.55 on Thursday, hitting $145.52. The company had a trading volume of 1,068,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,162. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $137.14 and a 200-day moving average of $136.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Kirby has a twelve month low of $100.30 and a twelve month high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.84.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The shipping company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.00 by $0.09. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The company had revenue of $977.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $938.84 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Kirby will post 7.10 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Kirby in the second quarter worth $62,549,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 136.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 21,319 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,899,000 after purchasing an additional 12,311 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 78.0% during the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 35,155 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $4,780,000 after purchasing an additional 15,406 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth about $9,182,000. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,649,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Kirby

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kirby reported diluted earnings of $2.09 per share, up 27% year over year and above analyst estimates of approximately $2.00. Revenue rose 12.2% to $977.2 million, also exceeding expectations. Kirby Corporation Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Marine transportation revenue increased 17%, with inland barge utilization in the low-90% range, improving spot rates and a 20% inland operating margin. Distribution and services also benefited from strong demand for backup power, data-center and industrial solutions.
• Positive Sentiment: Management narrowed full-year 2026 EPS-growth guidance to 10%–15% and expects results toward the upper end of that range. Power-generation order activity and the equipment backlog, which exceeded $1.5 billion, provide additional visibility. Kirby: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Kirby returned $112 million through share repurchases and agreed to acquire inland marine assets for $115 million, including towboats, tank barges and a South Texas fleeting operation intended to expand its Corpus Christi-area network.
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarterly conference call emphasized healthy demand, strong utilization and limited industry capacity additions, but also highlighted normal seasonal risks and continued variability in equipment delivery timing.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising fuel costs were not fully recovered through contract escalators, pressuring marine margins. Coastal operations also face elevated shipyard activity and additional cost pressure in the fourth quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Total debt increased to approximately $1.07 billion from $919 million at year-end 2025, while free cash flow declined year over year for the quarter and working capital remained elevated. These factors may have tempered the market’s reaction to the earnings beat.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation is a Houston-based marine transportation and industrial services company. Through its marine transportation operations, the company is the largest tank barge operator in the United States, transporting bulk liquid products on the nation’s inland and coastal waterways.

Kirby’s marine transportation business carries petrochemicals, refined petroleum products, black oil, agricultural chemicals and other bulk liquids for industrial customers. Its operations primarily serve the U.S.