BNP Paribas Financial Markets Increases Holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 873.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,726 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 40,132 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.08% of Kirby worth $4,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kirby during the fourth quarter worth about $74,293,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 69.7% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 876,292 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $92,712,000 after purchasing an additional 359,770 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Kirby by 848.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 393,647 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $41,648,000 after purchasing an additional 352,144 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP raised 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 purchasing an additional 202,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Kirby in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $18,749,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KEX shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Kirby from $133.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE:KEX opened at $108.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.78. Kirby Co. has a 1-year low of $83.94 and a 1-year high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The shipping company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.06. Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The company had revenue of $785.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $824.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Kirby Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KEX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.