William Blair Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in Kirby Corporation $KEX

William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 148,613 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,207,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Kirby by 4.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its position in Kirby by 2.9% during the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,811 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kirby by 18.2% during the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Kirby by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 739 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 5,179 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE KEX opened at $140.21 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.24. Kirby Corporation has a 12-month low of $79.51 and a 12-month high of $157.69. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.57, a PEG ratio of 1.26 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.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on KEX shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America boosted their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.