Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) VP Ronald A. Dragg Sells 2,313 Shares

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.30, for a total value of $294,444.90. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $978,045.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Kirby Stock Up 0.8 %

KEX stock traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $126.75. The stock had a trading volume of 22,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 456,870. Kirby Co. has a 52-week low of $72.11 and a 52-week high of $130.90. The firm has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The business has a 50-day moving average of $121.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.77.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.08. Kirby had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The business had revenue of $831.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $824.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 5.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 2.1% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 0.4% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 29,299 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,792,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 1.2% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Kirby by 8.5% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,668 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on KEX. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. StockNews.com cut Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.80.

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.