WINTON GROUP Ltd Purchases 61,498 Shares of Kirby Corporation $KEX

WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 884.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,451 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,498 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned 0.12% of Kirby worth $5,712,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Kirby by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,667,853 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $472,982,000 after acquiring an additional 134,261 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Kirby by 72.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $258,900,000 after acquiring an additional 959,209 shares in the last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,165,929 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $245,638,000 after acquiring an additional 211,231 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in Kirby by 8.5% in the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,570,001 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $131,017,000 after purchasing an additional 122,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 32.4% during the second quarter. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,225,338 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $138,966,000 after buying an additional 299,981 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of KEX opened at $125.96 on Tuesday. Kirby Corporation has a 52-week low of $79.51 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.32. The company has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The shipping company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.06. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 10.54%.The firm had revenue of $851.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $857.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.29 EPS. Kirby’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on KEX shares. Zacks Research downgraded Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of Kirby from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Monday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 11,667 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.33, for a total value of $1,508,893.11. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 14,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,915,894.62. This trade represents a 44.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.68, for a total value of $477,892.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 3,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $430,224.20. This represents a 52.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 82,640 shares of company stock worth $10,470,847. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.