Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Position in Kirby Corporation $KEX

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Kirby by 5.4% in Q1, adding 133,030 shares to bring its total holding to 2,617,538 shares, worth about $347.8 million. The fund now owns roughly 4.88% of the company.
• Kirby reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.50 topping estimates of $1.41 and revenue rising 7.4% year over year to $844.1 million. The company also provided FY 2026 EPS guidance of $6.65 to $7.28.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with several analysts reiterating or raising price targets, including Bank of America lifting its target to $182. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,617,538 shares of the shipping company's stock after acquiring an additional 133,030 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 4.88% of Kirby worth $347,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KEX. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Kirby in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in Kirby by 2,600.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Kirby by 537.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kirby by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Kirby by 182.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Kirby Price Performance

KEX opened at $148.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $141.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.10. The firm has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83. Kirby Corporation has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 10.51%.The firm had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $832.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. The business'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. As a group, analysts predict that Kirby Corporation will post 7.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $158.00 price objective on shares of Kirby in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America raised their price target on Kirby from $169.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kirby from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kirby from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kirby has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.20.

Insider Activity

In other Kirby news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total transaction of $99,916.86. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 9 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,326.33. This represents a 98.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Amy D. Husted sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.43, for a total transaction of $581,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 10,814 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,572,680.02. This trade represents a 27.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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