19,839 Shares in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Acquired by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 19,839 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $2,099,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,526,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $895,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,668 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,683 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $818,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total transaction of $133,866.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Kirby Trading Down 3.3 %

KEX traded down $3.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $102.68. 647,071 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 671,109. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $85.40 and a 52 week high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KEX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Kirby Company 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.