Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $169.17

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $169.17.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Kirby from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX opened at $134.92 on Tuesday. Kirby has a one year low of $87.62 and a one year high of $157.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $137.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.84.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.04. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 10.18%. The company had revenue of $922.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $870.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kirby will post 7.10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KEX. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby in the second quarter valued at approximately $733,274,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 5.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,617,538 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $347,829,000 after purchasing an additional 133,030 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 8.2% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 761,099 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $99,894,000 after purchasing an additional 57,371 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 3.3% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 758,029 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $100,727,000 after purchasing an additional 24,147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in Kirby during the second quarter worth $69,359,000. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kirby

Kirby Corporation is a Houston-based marine transportation and industrial services company. Through its marine transportation operations, the company is the largest tank barge operator in the United States, transporting bulk liquid products on the nation’s inland and coastal waterways.

Kirby’s marine transportation business carries petrochemicals, refined petroleum products, black oil, agricultural chemicals and other bulk liquids for industrial customers. Its operations primarily serve the U.S.