Kirby Corporation $KEX Stock Holdings Lowered by North Star Investment Management Corp.

Key Points

• North Star Investment Management reduced its Kirby Corporation stake by 18.6% in the first quarter, selling 9,000 shares and leaving it with 39,291 shares valued at about $5.22 million.
• Kirby posted better-than-expected quarterly results, reporting EPS of $1.50 versus the $1.41 estimate and revenue of $844.1 million, up 7.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with six Buy ratings and one Hold rating, giving the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.20.

North Star Investment Management Corp. cut its holdings in shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 18.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,291 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 9,000 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. owned approximately 0.07% of Kirby worth $5,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kirby by 92.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,612,119 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $287,803,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251,700 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Kirby by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,484,508 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $273,745,000 after purchasing an additional 93,676 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Kirby by 72.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $258,900,000 after purchasing an additional 959,209 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 109.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,256,667 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $248,640,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Kirby by 10.8% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,165,929 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $245,638,000 after purchasing an additional 211,231 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kirby Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Kirby stock opened at $136.76 on Monday. Kirby Corporation has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The company has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $143.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.72.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $844.10 million for 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%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 EPS. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Kirby Corporation will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kirby

In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 11,287 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Ronald A. Dragg sold 1,726 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.01, for a total transaction of $250,287.26. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,257,671.73. This trade represents a 16.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,691 shares of company stock valued at $2,579,036. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kirby from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kirby from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kirby from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.20.

Kirby 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.

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