Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for Kirby Earnings

Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2024 earnings estimates for Kirby in a research report issued on Wednesday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst S. Goswami now forecasts that the shipping company will post earnings of $5.45 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $5.41. The consensus estimate for Kirby’s current full-year earnings is $5.44 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Kirby’s Q1 2025 earnings at $1.37 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.47 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.74 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.60 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.18 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.43 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.62 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $1.63 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. StockNews.com cut Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.80.

Kirby Stock Down 1.5 %

KEX stock opened at $128.05 on Friday. Kirby has a 1 year low of $72.11 and a 1 year high of $132.04. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $119.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.58, a PEG ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.17.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The shipping company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $831.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $824.42 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 9.37%. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Kirby by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 2.1% in the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 29,299 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $2,792,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its position 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. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 26,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.46, for a total transaction of $3,175,084.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 63,399 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,637,043.54. The trade was a 29.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 15,041 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 7,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,980. This trade represents a 66.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 60,596 shares of company stock valued at $7,515,760. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.