Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q4 2026 earnings at $2.07 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.20 EPS.

Separately, Bank of America lowered their target price on Kirby from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.00.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX stock opened at $90.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.74. Kirby has a 1 year low of $83.94 and a 1 year high of $132.21. The firm has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.43.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.02% and a net margin of 9.25%.The business had revenue of $855.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $851.94 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Kirby will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Kirby by 39.3% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,496 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares during the last quarter. American Trust purchased a new position in Kirby in the second quarter valued at about $264,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Kirby by 11.5% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 25,324 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,872,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Kirby by 0.7% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 46,824 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after buying an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Kirby by 100.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 200,507 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $22,739,000 after acquiring an additional 100,645 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Company Profile

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.