Simplicity Wealth LLC Invests $845,000 in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Simplicity Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,217 shares of the shipping company’s stock, valued at approximately $845,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KEX. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Kirby by 92.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,612,119 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $287,803,000 after buying an additional 1,251,700 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 109.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,256,667 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $248,640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,963 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Kirby by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $258,900,000 after acquiring an additional 959,209 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kirby during the 4th quarter worth $81,355,000. Finally, Appian Way Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in Kirby by 335.8% in the 3rd quarter. Appian Way Asset Management LP now owns 675,546 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $56,374,000 after purchasing an additional 520,535 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kirby from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their price target on Kirby from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.20.

Kirby News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its 2026 EPS forecast to $7.07 from $6.97 and increased its Q3 and Q4 2026 estimates to $1.96 and $1.94, respectively. Both quarterly forecasts were raised by $0.06 and $0.03.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term expectations also improved: FY2027 EPS was lifted to $8.57 from $8.27, while FY2028 EPS increased to $9.20 from $9.05. Zacks also raised estimates for Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028 and Q2 2028.
• Positive Sentiment: The largest quarterly increase was for Q3 2027, raised to $2.41 from $2.30. Q2 2028 EPS was increased to $2.35 from $2.17, and Q4 2027 to $2.23 from $2.16.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ FY2026 forecast of $7.07 remains below the broader analyst consensus of $7.28, although the company recently exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations and reported 7.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $138.65 on Monday. Kirby Corporation has a one year low of $79.51 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 has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.78.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $922.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $870.38 million. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.280-7.280 EPS. Research analysts predict that Kirby Corporation will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.