Jump Financial LLC Increases Position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 296.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,893 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,072 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC owned about 0.07% of Kirby worth $4,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KEX. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Kirby by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Kirby by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,781 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Kirby Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of KEX stock traded up $1.93 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $94.80. The stock had a trading volume of 60,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 543,173. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $99.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.99. Kirby Co. has a 12-month low of $83.94 and a 12-month high of $132.21.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.