Natixis Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 43.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,604 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 50,542 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.11% of Kirby worth $6,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 12,554 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Kirby in the third quarter worth approximately $214,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 27.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 699,052 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $85,585,000 after acquiring an additional 152,146 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Kirby by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 8,152 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $998,000 after acquiring an additional 3,317 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 92,527 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $11,328,000 after acquiring an additional 22,778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the business's 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at $596,697.45. The trade was 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 this link. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kirby Price Performance

NYSE:KEX traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $104.42. 631,770 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 519,293. The business has a 50 day moving average of $104.67 and a 200 day moving average of $113.94. Kirby Co. has a 1-year low of $92.13 and a 1-year 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 market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KEX shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.25.

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.