EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 4,627 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 51.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,548 shares of the shipping company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,627 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kirby were worth $1,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. AGF Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 371.4% in the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 66,313 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $7,016,000 after acquiring an additional 52,247 shares in the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new position in shares of Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,143,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,402 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 22,308 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after acquiring an additional 1,881 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 7,482 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 901 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on KEX. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.25.

Kirby Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $96.63 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.96. The firm has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.18. Kirby Co. has a 1 year low of $87.57 and a 1 year high of $132.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. On average, research analysts forecast that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.50% 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.