BTIG Research Reiterates Buy Rating for Kirby (NYSE:KEX)

Kirby (NYSE:KEX)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by investment analysts at BTIG Research in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $170.00 price target on the shipping company’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price suggests a potential upside of 19.20% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wall Street Zen raised Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.20.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $142.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.83. Kirby has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $133.68.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kirby will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total value of $581,720.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 10,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,572,680.02. This trade represents a 27.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total value of $99,916.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 9 shares in the company, valued at $1,326.33. The trade was a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KEX. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Kirby by 4.9% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 15,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 34.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 890 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kirby by 824.5% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 2,424 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kirby in the first quarter valued at $281,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 20.9% in the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,023 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Company 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.