Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Takes $2.46 Million Position in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 18,500 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,458,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 2,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Kirby by 537.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kirby by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 182.9% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on KEX. Bank of America raised their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.20.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX opened at $131.34 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $140.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.83. Kirby Corporation has a 52 week low of $79.51 and a 52 week high of $157.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.49% and a net margin of 10.18%.The company had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $870.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kirby Corporation will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Kirby

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $165 to $170 and upgraded Kirby to “Buy,” implying substantial potential appreciation from the current trading level. Benzinga analyst price-target update
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research also assigned Kirby a Buy rating, adding to the positive analyst sentiment surrounding the stock. Kirby earns Buy rating from BTIG Research
• Positive Sentiment: Kirby’s second-quarter results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $1.67 versus the $1.63 consensus and revenue of $922.4 million versus $870.4 million expected. Revenue increased 7.8% year over year, supporting the company’s growth narrative. Kirby Q2 2026 earnings highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Management indicated that full-year earnings growth could reach the upper end of its 5%–15% range, while the power-generation backlog rose to approximately $1 billion–$1.5 billion. Robust marine demand also remains a supportive factor. Kirby full-year outlook and power backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Kirby as a strong momentum stock, while its consensus price target suggests meaningful upside. However, Zacks cautioned that price targets alone have limited predictive value unless supported by improving earnings estimates. Why Kirby is a strong momentum stock
• Negative Sentiment: A report specifically addressing why Kirby shares are sliding indicates that investors may be selling the stock despite the earnings beat and positive guidance, potentially reflecting valuation concerns or profit-taking. Why Kirby shares are sliding

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total value of $99,916.86. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 9 shares in the company, valued at $1,326.33. This trade represents a 98.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036. Corporate insiders own 0.80% 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.