Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 239,540 Shares of Kirby Corporation $KEX

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,428,313 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 239,540 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Kirby worth $598,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,003 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,809 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $568,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,733 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 932 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,213 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on KEX. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday. BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kirby from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.20.

Kirby News Summary

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.68, for a total transaction of $477,892.80. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 3,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $430,224.20. This trade represents a 52.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 5,429 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $662,338.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,268,678. This trade represents a 34.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 71,495 shares of company stock valued at $9,226,173. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kirby Stock Performance

Kirby stock opened at $147.30 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.96. 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 $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $136.19 and its 200 day moving average is $120.86.

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 business had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 6.81 EPS for the current year.

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.