Chesapeake Capital Corp IL Has $245,000 Stock Position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Chesapeake Capital Corp IL reduced its position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 53.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,316 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 2,643 shares during the period. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL’s holdings in Kirby were worth $245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Kirby during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC raised its position in Kirby by 38.8% during the third quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC now owns 833 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Kirby during the third quarter valued at approximately $202,000. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $98.88 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $104.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.38. The stock has a market cap of $5.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. Kirby Co. has a fifty-two week low of $88.75 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. On average, equities analysts expect that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KEX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

About Kirby

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.