Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Stock Price

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) had its price target upped by Citigroup from $145.00 to $147.00 in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the shipping company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on KEX. BTIG Research lowered their target price on Kirby from $140.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Kirby from $109.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kirby in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.40.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX stock opened at $117.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.69. Kirby has a 12-month low of $79.51 and a 12-month high of $132.18.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The shipping company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $851.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $857.82 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 10.54%.The business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.29 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kirby will post 6.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 2,715 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.29, for a total value of $299,437.35. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 10,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,138,744.25. This trade represents a 20.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 10,413 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.42, for a total value of $1,118,564.46. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 11,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,263,259.20. This trade represents a 46.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 57,147 shares of company stock valued at $6,204,544. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kirby in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,030,000. Luminus Management LLC increased its position in Kirby by 292.0% in the third quarter. Luminus Management LLC now owns 116,956 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $9,760,000 after buying an additional 87,120 shares during the last quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 18.4% in the third quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 131,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,932,000 after buying an additional 20,399 shares during the period. VELA Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 11.5% in the third quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 160,475 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $13,392,000 after buying an additional 16,615 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kirby during the 2nd quarter valued at $692,000. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Kirby News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat expectations — Kirby reported $1.68 EPS vs. $1.62 consensus, confirming improved profitability (net margin ~9.2%). Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported a record year: utilization improvement in inland marine, stronger coastal margins and a sequential +10% jump in power?generation revenue; management also repurchased ~1.03M shares and paid down ~$130M of debt. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Power?generation segment strength and marine pricing dynamics are driving the outlook, supporting upside if large project wins continue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Citigroup raised its price target to $147 with a Buy rating, signaling continued upside from some institutional analysts. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent inflows reported into KEX suggest fund buying helped bid the stock higher earlier in the week. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG trimmed its target to $135 but kept a Buy rating — still implying upside, though slightly less optimistic than peers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings materials and call transcripts are available (useful for modeling forward margins and backlog; see transcripts/slide deck). Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed estimates ($851.8M vs. ~$857.8M expected), which may temper enthusiasm given the stretched valuation after a recent run. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny — pieces asking whether KEX is “expensive for a reason” highlight investor concern that strong fundamentals must outpace a higher multiple to justify the price. Article Title

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation is a leading domestic maritime transporter of bulk liquid products in the United States. Through its Marine Transportation segment, the company operates one of North America’s largest fleets of inland tank barges and towing vessels. Kirby’s fleet moves petrochemicals, black oil, refined petroleum products and agricultural chemicals along coastal and inland waterways, providing critical logistical support to energy, chemical and agricultural producers.

In addition to its marine operations, Kirby’s Distribution and Services segment offers diesel engine and power generation services, along with aftermarket parts sales.