Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $123.80.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.30, for a total transaction of $294,444.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $978,045.90. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,955,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,980. This trade represents a 66.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,354 shares of company stock valued at $3,275,455 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Kirby by 420.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Kirby in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kirby in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Kirby in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Kirby during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $104.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Kirby has a 1-year low of $74.88 and a 1-year high of $132.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $119.03 and a 200-day moving average of $119.59. The company has a market capitalization of $6.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.18.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $831.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $824.42 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 9.37%. Kirby’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kirby will post 5.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.