Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for Kirby Q3 Earnings

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) – Zacks Research raised their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Kirby in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the shipping company will post earnings of $1.96 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.90. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $7.28 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.94 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $7.07 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.18 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.41 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.57 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $2.04 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $2.35 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.20 EPS.

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on KEX. Wall Street Zen cut Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.20.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX stock opened at $135.60 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $138.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.84. Kirby has a 52-week low of $79.51 and a 52-week high of $157.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kirby news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total value of $99,916.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 9 shares in the company, valued at $1,326.33. The trade was a 98.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total value of $1,647,111.91. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 15,965 shares of company stock worth $2,328,749 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Kirby in the second quarter worth approximately $733,274,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Kirby by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,617,538 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $347,829,000 after purchasing an additional 133,030 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Kirby by 92.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 72.5% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 109.4% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,256,667 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $248,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178,963 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Company 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.