First Dallas Securities Inc. Sells 13,375 Shares of Kirby Corporation $KEX

Key Points

• First Dallas Securities Inc. cut its Kirby Corporation stake by 51.1% in Q1, selling 13,375 shares and leaving it with 12,815 shares valued at about $1.703 million.
• Insider selling was notable as well: VP William Matthew Woodruff and COO Christian G. O'Neil sold shares on May 15, with insiders selling 17,691 shares total over the last 90 days.
• Kirby reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.50 versus $1.41 expected and revenue of $844.1 million, while analysts maintain a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

First Dallas Securities Inc. lessened its position in Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 51.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,815 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 13,375 shares during the period. First Dallas Securities Inc.'s holdings in Kirby were worth $1,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Kirby during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2,600.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 537.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kirby by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kirby in the third quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other news, VP William Matthew Woodruff sold 678 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.37, for a total value of $99,916.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 9 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,326.33. This represents a 98.69% 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, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 11,287 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.93, for a total value of $1,647,111.91. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 17,691 shares of company stock worth $2,579,036 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on KEX. Zacks Research raised Kirby from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $158.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kirby from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kirby has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $146.20.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX opened at $129.99 on Friday. Kirby Corporation has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $142.67 and its 200 day moving average is $132.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.83.

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

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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