Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Price Target to $135.00

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) had its target price decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $136.00 to $135.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the shipping company’s stock.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.40.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $109.13 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $111.96 and its 200-day moving average is $117.84. The firm has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.21. Kirby has a 1-year low of $78.63 and a 1-year high of $132.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 9.37%. Equities research analysts predict that Kirby will post 5.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were 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 $1,006,980. This trade represents a 66.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 15,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,985,716.48. The trade was a 34.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,354 shares of company stock valued at $3,275,455 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in Kirby by 0.7% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its holdings in Kirby by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $600,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Kirby by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Kirby by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,668 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning increased its position in Kirby by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,683 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $818,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

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.