BTIG Research Boosts Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Price Target to $170.00

Key Points

• BTIG Research raised its price target on Kirby from $160 to $170 and maintained a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 14.5% upside from the current share price.
• Kirby beat quarterly expectations with $1.50 EPS (vs. $1.42 est.) and $844.1M revenue (vs. $835.1M est.), and issued FY2026 guidance of 6.65–7.28 EPS versus analysts' ~6.81 forecast.
• Insiders have sold significant stock recently (71,495 shares worth ~$9.23M), but institutional ownership is very high at 96.15%, with large position increases from Vanguard, Goldman Sachs and others.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by investment analysts at BTIG Research from $160.00 to $170.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the shipping company's stock. BTIG Research's target price points to a potential upside of 14.49% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kirby from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Kirby from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $142.20.

Kirby Trading Down 2.7%

KEX traded down $4.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $148.49. 574,189 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 765,815. The firm's fifty day moving average is $135.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.11. Kirby has a 1-year low of $79.51 and a 1-year high of $157.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $7.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.83.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.08. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 10.54%.The firm had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $835.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. Kirby's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Kirby will post 6.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In other news, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 11,287 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.34, for a total transaction of $1,493,721.58. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 11,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,493,721.58. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.68, for a total value of $477,892.80. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 3,565 shares in the company, valued at $430,224.20. This trade represents a 52.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,495 shares of company stock worth $9,226,173. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Kirby by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,667,853 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $472,982,000 after acquiring an additional 134,261 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Kirby by 92.0% during the fourth 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. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Kirby by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,484,508 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $273,745,000 after buying an additional 93,676 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Kirby by 72.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $258,900,000 after buying an additional 959,209 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Kirby by 109.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,256,667 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $248,640,000 after buying an additional 1,178,963 shares during the period. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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