Atria Investments Inc Sells 12,944 Shares of Kirby Corporation $KEX

Key Points

• Atria Investments cut its Kirby stake by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,944 shares and leaving it with 44,147 shares valued at about $4.86 million.
• Kirby received a broadly positive analyst outlook, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus; the average price target is $146.20.
• The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.50 EPS on $844.1 million in revenue, while insiders have also been selling shares in recent months.

Atria Investments Inc trimmed its stake in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,147 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 12,944 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc owned 0.08% of Kirby worth $4,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empire Life Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Kirby by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 89,222 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $9,830,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kirby in the fourth quarter worth $618,000. Horizon Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 6,605 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 739 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 11,840 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,305,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KEX. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.20.

Kirby Stock Down 1.2%

KEX stock opened at $145.65 on Friday. Kirby Corporation has a 1-year low of $79.51 and a 1-year high of $157.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $138.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.85.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $832.57 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.Kirby's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In related news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 34,152 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.05, for a total transaction of $4,441,467.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 98,241 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,776,242.05. This represents a 25.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 11,667 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.33, for a total value of $1,508,893.11. Following the sale, the vice president owned 14,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,915,894.62. This trade represents a 44.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 61,832 shares of company stock valued at $8,092,470 in the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Kirby

Here are the key news stories impacting Kirby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $6.97 from $6.77, suggesting stronger expected full-year profitability. Assessing Kirby (KEX) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also lifted FY2027 EPS estimates to $8.27 from $8.04, reinforcing a stronger multi-year earnings growth story. Assessing Kirby (KEX) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: FY2028 EPS was still estimated at $9.05, which indicates Zacks sees continued earnings growth over the next few years. Assessing Kirby (KEX) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Some near-term estimates were lowered, including Q2 2026 EPS to $1.65 from $1.71 and Q1 2027 EPS to $1.76 from $1.81, which tempers the bullish longer-term view. Assessing Kirby (KEX) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks kept a Hold rating on Kirby, so the firm is not signaling an outright buy despite the improved estimates. Assessing Kirby (KEX) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: The reduced short-term forecasts may weigh on sentiment if investors are focused on the next few quarters rather than the long-term growth outlook. Assessing Kirby (KEX) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum

Kirby Company Profile

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.

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.