Brokerages Set Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) PT at $163.20

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $163.20.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KEX. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

Kirby Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE:KEX opened at $138.84 on Thursday. Kirby has a twelve month low of $79.51 and a twelve month high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $138.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.07.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.04. The business 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 firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Kirby will post 7.07 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 stock. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in shares of Kirby by 2,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kirby by 537.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 182.9% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Company 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.