Barclays PLC Purchases 44,941 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Barclays PLC raised its stake in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 236.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,980 shares of the shipping company's stock after acquiring an additional 44,941 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.11% of Kirby worth $6,769,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Kirby by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 142,265 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $17,418,000 after buying an additional 30,713 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Kirby by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 415,042 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $43,911,000 after buying an additional 10,486 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,749,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in shares of Kirby by 112.0% during the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 382,835 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $40,504,000 after buying an additional 202,272 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Kirby by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 29,659 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $3,143,000 after buying an additional 5,804 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Kirby Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE KEX traded up $0.25 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.22. 656,136 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 533,892. The firm has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $97.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Kirby Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.94 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) 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%. Analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KEX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Kirby from $133.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the business's 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 sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares of the company's stock, valued at $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.90% 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.