Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for Kirby Earnings

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Kirby in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, October 22nd. Zacks Research analyst S. Goswami now forecasts that the shipping company will post earnings of $1.59 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.58. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $5.46 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q1 2026 earnings at $1.47 EPS.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The shipping company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $824.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $821.65 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 8.70% and a net margin of 8.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on KEX. StockNews.com downgraded Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.80.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $125.50 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.49. Kirby has a fifty-two week low of $72.11 and a fifty-two week high of $130.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Kirby by 21.4% in the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 896,257 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $85,432,000 after acquiring an additional 157,880 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its position in shares of Kirby by 2.8% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 14,559 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Kirby by 2.5% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 222,523 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $21,211,000 after buying an additional 5,526 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in shares of Kirby by 0.3% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,214 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,074,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of Kirby by 1.2% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kirby news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 2,853 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $361,018.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $668,131.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 14,031 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.29, for a total value of $1,729,881.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,571,454.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 2,853 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.54, for a total value of $361,018.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $668,131.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 46,012 shares of company stock valued at $5,571,267 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.