Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.80.

Separately, StockNews.com cut Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In related news, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 15,041 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $1,955,330.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 7,746 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,006,980. This represents a 66.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,313 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.30, for a total transaction of $294,444.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,683 shares in the company, valued at $978,045.90. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,354 shares of company stock valued at $3,275,455 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 420.0% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Kirby in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of KEX traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $106.19. The stock had a trading volume of 777,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 742,307. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $118.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.50. Kirby has a fifty-two week low of $74.88 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.08. Kirby had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 9.43%. The business had revenue of $831.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $824.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.05 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kirby will post 5.45 EPS for the current year.

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.