Kirby’s (KEX) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research

BTIG Research reiterated their buy rating on shares of Kirby (NYSE:KEX) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $170.00 target price on the shipping company’s stock.

KEX has been the topic of several other reports. Wall Street Zen raised Kirby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.20.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX stock opened at $131.34 on Wednesday. Kirby has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The company has a market cap of $7.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $140.62 and a 200 day moving average of $136.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.04. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.49% and a net margin of 10.18%.The business had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kirby will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In related news, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,680.02. This represents a 27.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Christian G. O’neil sold 11,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total transaction of $1,647,111.91. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,917 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,811 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Kirby by 18.2% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Kirby by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 739 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in Kirby by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 5,179 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $571,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Kirby News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $165 to $170 and upgraded Kirby to “Buy,” implying substantial potential appreciation from the current trading level. Benzinga analyst price-target update
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research also assigned Kirby a Buy rating, adding to the positive analyst sentiment surrounding the stock. Kirby earns Buy rating from BTIG Research
• Positive Sentiment: Kirby’s second-quarter results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $1.67 versus the $1.63 consensus and revenue of $922.4 million versus $870.4 million expected. Revenue increased 7.8% year over year, supporting the company’s growth narrative. Kirby Q2 2026 earnings highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Management indicated that full-year earnings growth could reach the upper end of its 5%–15% range, while the power-generation backlog rose to approximately $1 billion–$1.5 billion. Robust marine demand also remains a supportive factor. Kirby full-year outlook and power backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Kirby as a strong momentum stock, while its consensus price target suggests meaningful upside. However, Zacks cautioned that price targets alone have limited predictive value unless supported by improving earnings estimates. Why Kirby is a strong momentum stock
• Negative Sentiment: A report specifically addressing why Kirby shares are sliding indicates that investors may be selling the stock despite the earnings beat and positive guidance, potentially reflecting valuation concerns or profit-taking. Why Kirby shares are sliding

Kirby Company Profile

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.