6,126 Shares in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Bought by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 6,126 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $648,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,293,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Kirby by 848.5% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 393,647 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $41,648,000 after buying an additional 352,144 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its holdings in Kirby by 112.0% in the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 382,835 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $40,504,000 after purchasing an additional 202,272 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth approximately $18,749,000. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC bought a new position in Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at about $16,390,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KEX. StockNews.com cut shares of Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Kirby from $133.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Kirby Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE KEX traded down $0.33 on Tuesday, reaching $95.72. The company had a trading volume of 260,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 541,766. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company's fifty day moving average is $100.41 and its 200 day moving average is $111.11. Kirby Co. has a 52-week low of $83.94 and a 52-week high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kirby Profile

Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii.