Kirby (KEX) Competitors

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) are related companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and media sentiment.

Do insiders and institutionals believe in KEX or HAL?

96.2% of Kirby shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.2% of Halliburton shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Kirby shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Halliburton shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media refer more to KEX or HAL?

In the previous week, Halliburton had 25 more articles in the media than Kirby. MarketBeat recorded 40 mentions for Halliburton and 15 mentions for Kirby. Kirby's average media sentiment score of 1.04 beat Halliburton's score of 0.86 indicating that Kirby is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Kirby	6 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Halliburton	24 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, KEX or HAL?

Kirby has a beta of 1.01, suggesting that its stock price is 1% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Halliburton has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better valuation and earnings, KEX or HAL?

Halliburton has higher revenue and earnings than Kirby. Halliburton is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kirby, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kirby	$3.27B	1.65	$286.71M	$5.29	18.26
Halliburton	$22.94B	0.79	$2.50B	$2.14	9.87

Do analysts recommend KEX or HAL?

Kirby presently has a consensus price target of $130.00, indicating a potential upside of 34.59%. Halliburton has a consensus price target of $31.00, indicating a potential upside of 46.71%. Given Halliburton's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Halliburton is more favorable than Kirby.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kirby	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Halliburton	0 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.60

Is KEX or HAL more profitable?

Kirby has a net margin of 9.25% compared to Halliburton's net margin of 8.37%. Halliburton's return on equity of 21.45% beat Kirby's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kirby	9.25%	10.02%	5.63%
Halliburton	8.37%	21.45%	8.85%

Summary

Kirby and Halliburton tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.