Kirby Corporation $KEX is VELA Investment Management LLC’s Largest Position

VELA Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 154,048 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 6,427 shares during the period. Kirby makes up 4.0% of VELA Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. VELA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $16,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Kirby in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in Kirby in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kirby by 559.3% in the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 567 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kirby in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Kirby in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

More 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

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.34, for a total value of $1,493,721.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,493,721.58. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 11,667 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.33, for a total transaction of $1,508,893.11. Following the sale, the vice president owned 14,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,915,894.62. This represents a 44.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 71,495 shares of company stock worth $9,226,173. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of KEX opened at $147.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.53. Kirby Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $79.51 and a fifty-two week high of $157.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $136.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.59.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on KEX. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.20.

About Kirby

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.