Gotham Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Gotham Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,025 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $1,061,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,624 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kirby by 333.8% in the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 7,991 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,149 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Kirby by 2,655.4% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 46,897 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $4,962,000 after buying an additional 45,195 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Kirby by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 815,008 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $86,228,000 after purchasing an additional 100,655 shares during the period. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC increased its holdings in Kirby by 295.3% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 253 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on KEX. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Kirby from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th.

Kirby Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KEX traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $107.58. The stock had a trading volume of 488,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 539,635. The firm has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Kirby Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.94 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $100.08 and a 200-day moving average of $107.37.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The shipping company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $785.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $824.12 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 8.78%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 earnings per share 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.