Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Sees Large Volume Increase - What's Next?

Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 338,903 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 25% from the previous session's volume of 451,669 shares.The stock last traded at $119.25 and had previously closed at $123.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.80.

Kirby Stock Down 6.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's 50 day moving average is $120.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The shipping company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.11. Kirby had a net margin of 8.72% and a return on equity of 8.70%. The company had revenue of $824.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $821.65 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 5.46 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 2,770 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total transaction of $305,281.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 16,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,772,066.59. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 2,770 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total value of $305,281.70. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 16,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,772,066.59. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 2,853 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $361,018.62. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 5,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $668,131.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,012 shares of company stock valued at $5,571,267 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Americana Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 2.1% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in Kirby by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 29,299 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $2,792,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $988,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kirby by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,372 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Kirby by 91.0% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 296 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

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.