Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Short Interest Update

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,386,445 shares, a decline of 17.6% from the March 31st total of 1,681,671 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 648,183 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In related news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 11,667 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,915,894.62. The trade was a 44.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.68, for a total value of $477,892.80. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,565 shares in the company, valued at $430,224.20. This represents a 52.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 71,495 shares of company stock worth $9,226,173 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Kirby in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 2,600.0% in the 4th 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 period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 537.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kirby Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:KEX traded down $3.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $147.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 834,617 shares, compared to its average volume of 689,309. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 1.44 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $136.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $120.32. Kirby has a fifty-two week low of $79.51 and a fifty-two week high of $157.69.

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

Trending Headlines about Kirby

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.