Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) COO Christian G. O’neil Sells 15,041 Shares

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $1,955,330.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 7,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,980. This trade represents a 66.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of KEX opened at $129.95 on Friday. Kirby Co. has a 52-week low of $72.11 and a 52-week high of $132.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.70. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $121.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.53. The firm has a market cap of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.17.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.08. Kirby had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 9.37%. The firm had revenue of $831.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $824.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 5.44 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the third quarter worth approximately $403,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the third quarter worth approximately $5,070,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Kirby by 4.6% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 13,644 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 54.9% during the third quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 20,836 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,551,000 after purchasing an additional 7,381 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the third quarter worth approximately $6,783,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.80.

Kirby Company 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.