Rokos Capital Management LLP Invests $9.91 Million in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Rokos Capital Management LLP purchased a new stake in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 74,590 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,910,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KEX. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,422,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,617,100 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $178,172,000 after acquiring an additional 47,099 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in Kirby in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,772,000. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 33.6% in the 4th quarter. Mountaineer Partners Management LLC now owns 87,444 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $9,635,000 after purchasing an additional 22,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio raised its holdings in Kirby by 4,237.3% during the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 57,990 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $7,706,000 after purchasing an additional 56,653 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $145.00 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.04. The company has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.59. Kirby Corporation has a one year low of $79.51 and a one year high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.The firm had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $832.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. Kirby’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KEX. Bank of America upped their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the firm’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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,726 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.01, for a total transaction of $250,287.26. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,673 shares in the company, valued at $1,257,671.73. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.