Heartland Advisors Inc. Buys New Position in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 41,474 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,639,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.08% of Kirby at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,617,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $178,172,000 after acquiring an additional 47,099 shares in the last quarter. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC now owns 87,444 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,635,000 after acquiring an additional 22,013 shares during the period. Strs Ohio boosted its stake in Kirby by 4,237.3% during the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 57,990 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,706,000 after acquiring an additional 56,653 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Kirby during the second quarter worth $9,182,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter worth $81,355,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of KEX stock opened at $140.21 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $138.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.24. Kirby Corporation has a 12 month low of $79.51 and a 12 month high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.84.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $922.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.38 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. Analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on KEX. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America raised their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.20.

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.