TCW Group Inc. Acquires 7,082 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

TCW Group Inc. increased its holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 35.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,110 shares of the shipping company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,082 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.'s holdings in Kirby were worth $2,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 420.0% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 208 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Kirby in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Kirby during the third quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter worth $76,000. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KEX traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $102.31. 498,620 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 674,532. Kirby Co. has a 52-week low of $86.02 and a 52-week high of $132.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $106.88 and a 200 day moving average of $116.26. 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 cap of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.19.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 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.