Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) VP Sells $133,866.84 in Stock

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE KEX traded up $1.49 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $107.81. The company had a trading volume of 534,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 732,574. The business has a 50 day moving average of $109.89 and a 200-day moving average of $117.14. The company has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.19. Kirby Co. has a 1-year low of $83.24 and a 1-year high of $132.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.67.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 8.78%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kirby Co. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Kirby by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 2.1% during the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in 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 period. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Kirby by 8.5% during 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, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Kirby by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,914 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,271,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KEX. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.