Kirby Corporation $KEX Stock Position Increased by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,966 shares of the shipping company’s stock after buying an additional 4,694 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Kirby were worth $3,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in Kirby by 2,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its 2026 EPS forecast to $7.07 from $6.97 and increased its Q3 and Q4 2026 estimates to $1.96 and $1.94, respectively. Both quarterly forecasts were raised by $0.06 and $0.03.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term expectations also improved: FY2027 EPS was lifted to $8.57 from $8.27, while FY2028 EPS increased to $9.20 from $9.05. Zacks also raised estimates for Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028 and Q2 2028.
• Positive Sentiment: The largest quarterly increase was for Q3 2027, raised to $2.41 from $2.30. Q2 2028 EPS was increased to $2.35 from $2.17, and Q4 2027 to $2.23 from $2.16.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ FY2026 forecast of $7.07 remains below the broader analyst consensus of $7.28, although the company recently exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations and reported 7.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

Kirby Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:KEX opened at $138.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Kirby Corporation has a 1-year low of $79.51 and a 1-year high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $138.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.72.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.38 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 10.18%.Kirby’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.67 EPS. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KEX. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.20.

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.