Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Raises Holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 122.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 633,812 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 348,665 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 1.11% of Kirby worth $64,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kirby in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in shares of Kirby by 295.3% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 253 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kirby during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Kirby by 147.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 351 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE:KEX traded up $1.41 on Monday, reaching $112.24. 38,657 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 543,176. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $105.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Kirby Co. has a 52 week low of $83.94 and a 52 week high of $132.21. The firm has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Bank of America raised their price objective on Kirby from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

About Kirby

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.