Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) saw a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,386,445 shares, a decrease of 17.6% from the March 31st total of 1,681,671 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 648,183 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.20.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of Kirby stock traded down $3.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $147.30. 834,617 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 689,309. Kirby has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $136.19 and a 200-day moving average of $120.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.85.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $832.57 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Kirby will post 6.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kirby news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 34,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.05, for a total value of $4,441,467.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 98,241 shares in the company, valued at $12,776,242.05. The trade was a 25.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 11,667 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.33, for a total transaction of $1,508,893.11. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 14,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,915,894.62. The trade was a 44.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,495 shares of company stock worth $9,226,173. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Kirby by 6,646.0% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 49,853 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $6,624,000 after acquiring an additional 49,114 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Kirby by 2.8% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 11,107 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC purchased a new position in Kirby in the first quarter valued at about $464,000. Burney Co. purchased a new position in Kirby in the first quarter valued at about $772,000. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in Kirby by 15.3% in the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 13,780 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,831,000 after buying an additional 1,825 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Kirby News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — EPS $1.50 and revenue up 7.4% YoY, topping estimates; underlying profitability remains solid, which supports earnings momentum. Kirby Corporation Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY2026 guidance (EPS range 6.65–7.28) and lifted the EPS growth range to 5%–15% (from 0%–12%), signaling stronger full‑year confidence. The company also returned $52.7M via buybacks and acquired 23 barges (strategic fleet expansion). Kirby Corporation Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: BTIG raised its price target to $170 and kept a Buy rating, providing third‑party validation of upside. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q1 disclosure and investor materials available (earnings release, slide deck, conference call/transcript) — useful for drilling into segment performance and seasonality but not a directional catalyst by itself. View Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Company flagged near‑term headwinds — fuel cost variability and OEM timing issues that could pressure margins or equipment availability; investors often punish uncertainty even when results beat. Kirby signals 2026 EPS up 5% to up 15% as inland pricing strengthens despite fuel and OEM timing headwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance nuance: the FY EPS range (6.65–7.28) spans the Street estimate (~6.8), so some investors may view the midpoint as conservative or too wide, prompting profit‑taking after a prior run to near‑highs. Listen to Conference Call

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.