AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 50,223 Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 277,188 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 50,223 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.48% of Kirby worth $29,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 518,255 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $54,831,000 after purchasing an additional 47,895 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter valued at $1,186,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Kirby during the 4th quarter worth $133,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter worth $2,764,000. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Kirby in the 4th quarter worth $473,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KEX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on Kirby from $133.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,697.45. This trade represents a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kirby Stock Down 2.2 %

NYSE:KEX traded down $2.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.24. The stock had a trading volume of 463,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 539,602. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.82, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.91. The business's 50 day moving average is $97.72 and its 200 day moving average is $108.44. Kirby Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.94 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21.

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. Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm had revenue of $785.66 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $824.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Kirby's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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.