Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Shares Sold by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 48.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 285,147 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 272,400 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.50% of Kirby worth $30,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its position in shares of Kirby by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 382,835 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $40,504,000 after buying an additional 202,272 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Kirby by 68.7% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 477,233 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $58,428,000 after purchasing an additional 194,410 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $16,390,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 699,052 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $85,585,000 after purchasing an additional 152,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP grew its position in Kirby by 48.7% in the third quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP now owns 234,500 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $28,710,000 after acquiring an additional 76,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on KEX. StockNews.com downgraded Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kirby has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.21, for a total value of $1,025,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,985,716.48. This represents a 34.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Kirby Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of Kirby stock traded down $1.65 on Wednesday, reaching $106.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 427,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 713,782. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $83.24 and a 52 week high of $132.21. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $109.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.99. The company has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last announced 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 9.78% and a net margin of 8.78%. Equities analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 6.54 earnings per share 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.