Kirby Corporation $KEX Shares Purchased by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP boosted its holdings in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 1,117.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,110 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 30,391 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP’s holdings in Kirby were worth $3,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Kirby by 92.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,612,119 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $287,803,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251,700 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Kirby by 72.5% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $258,900,000 after purchasing an additional 959,209 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,355,000. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,385,000. Finally, Appian Way Asset Management LP raised its position in Kirby by 335.8% in the third quarter. Appian Way Asset Management LP now owns 675,546 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $56,374,000 after purchasing an additional 520,535 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of KEX stock opened at $141.61 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $143.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.87. The company has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.81. Kirby Corporation has a 12 month low of $79.51 and a 12 month high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $832.57 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 10.62%. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total value of $581,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at $1,572,680.02. This represents a 27.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on KEX shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kirby presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.20.

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.