Headlands Technologies LLC Acquires 3,296 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 350.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,236 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,296 shares during the quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC's holdings in Kirby were worth $448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at about $76,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 38.8% in the 3rd quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC now owns 833 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Kirby by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kirby during the third quarter valued at approximately $202,000. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In related news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total transaction of $133,866.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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Kirby Trading Up 10.0 %

Kirby stock traded up $8.74 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $96.06. The stock had a trading volume of 809,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 538,567. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $83.94 and a 52 week high of $132.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.80. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Kirby

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.