Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Price Target Raised to $210.00

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised Kirby’s price target to $210 from $200 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying roughly 44% upside from the reported share price of $145.52.
• Kirby reported quarterly EPS of $2.09, beating the $2.00 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 12.2% year over year to $977.2 million, also above expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with eight Buy ratings and one Hold rating and an average “Moderate Buy” consensus; institutional investors own approximately 96.15% of the stock.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $200.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the shipping company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price indicates a potential upside of 44.31% from the company's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on KEX. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Kirby from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Stephens raised their price target on Kirby from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised Kirby from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kirby has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.43.

Kirby Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:KEX traded down $0.55 on Thursday, reaching $145.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,068,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,162. Kirby has a 12-month low of $100.30 and a 12-month high of $157.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $137.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.41. The firm has a market cap of $7.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The shipping company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.09. Kirby had a net margin of 10.18% and a return on equity of 10.44%. The business had revenue of $977.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $938.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kirby will post 7.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KEX. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 18.2% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 520 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,079 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 3.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,823 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $764,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 34.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 890 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kirby reported diluted earnings of $2.09 per share, up 27% year over year and above analyst estimates of approximately $2.00. Revenue rose 12.2% to $977.2 million, also exceeding expectations. Kirby Corporation Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Marine transportation revenue increased 17%, with inland barge utilization in the low-90% range, improving spot rates and a 20% inland operating margin. Distribution and services also benefited from strong demand for backup power, data-center and industrial solutions.
• Positive Sentiment: Management narrowed full-year 2026 EPS-growth guidance to 10%–15% and expects results toward the upper end of that range. Power-generation order activity and the equipment backlog, which exceeded $1.5 billion, provide additional visibility. Kirby: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Kirby returned $112 million through share repurchases and agreed to acquire inland marine assets for $115 million, including towboats, tank barges and a South Texas fleeting operation intended to expand its Corpus Christi-area network.
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarterly conference call emphasized healthy demand, strong utilization and limited industry capacity additions, but also highlighted normal seasonal risks and continued variability in equipment delivery timing.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising fuel costs were not fully recovered through contract escalators, pressuring marine margins. Coastal operations also face elevated shipyard activity and additional cost pressure in the fourth quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Total debt increased to approximately $1.07 billion from $919 million at year-end 2025, while free cash flow declined year over year for the quarter and working capital remained elevated. These factors may have tempered the market’s reaction to the earnings beat.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.