Royce & Associates LP Sells 4,120 Shares of Kirby Corporation $KEX

Royce & Associates LP reduced its position in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 101,359 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 4,120 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.19% of Kirby worth $11,168,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,422,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 239.4% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 15,762 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 11,118 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 60.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 44,665 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,727,000 after purchasing an additional 16,772 shares during the period. Hound Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kirby in the third quarter worth approximately $11,085,000. Finally, ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 9.1% in the third quarter. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC now owns 807,204 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $67,361,000 after purchasing an additional 67,117 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kirby Price Performance

NYSE:KEX opened at $143.39 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $141.59 and its 200 day moving average is $126.97. Kirby Corporation has a 12 month low of $79.51 and a 12 month high of $157.69. The company has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.85. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.The business had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $832.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.20.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In related news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,726 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president owned 8,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,257,671.73. The trade was a 16.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Raj Kumar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total transaction of $398,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 4,494 shares in the company, valued at $596,353.80. This represents a 40.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 31,978 shares of company stock valued at $4,470,858 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Profile

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.