EFG Asset Management North America Corp. Raises Stock Holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

EFG Asset Management North America Corp. lifted its holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 58.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,503 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,394 shares during the quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp.’s holdings in Kirby were worth $2,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Kirby in the third quarter worth about $42,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC raised its position in Kirby by 38.8% during the third quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC now owns 833 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total transaction of $133,866.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $104.42 on Wednesday. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $92.75 and a 52 week high of $132.21. The company has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $104.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KEX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.