Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Consensus "Moderate Buy": Seven analysts cover Kirby (6 buys, 1 hold) and the average 12‑month price target is $146.20, with some firms raising targets as high as $160 (Citigroup) and $158 (Evercore).
• Q1 results topped estimates: Kirby reported $1.50 EPS vs $1.41 expected and $844.1M revenue vs $832.6M, with revenue up 7.4% year‑over‑year and FY2026 guidance of $6.65–$7.28 EPS (analysts average 6.81).
• Insider selling amid strong institutional ownership: Insiders sold about 71,495 shares (~$9.23M) in the past three months (including the CEO), while institutional investors own 96.15% of the stock and major funds like Goldman Sachs and UBS materially increased stakes.

Shares of Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $146.20.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on KEX shares. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kirby from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $158.00 price target on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Kirby from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th.

Kirby Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $144.53 on Tuesday. Kirby has a 1 year low of $79.51 and a 1 year high of $157.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business's 50 day moving average price is $136.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.86.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. Kirby had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 10.51%.The firm had revenue of $844.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $832.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Kirby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.650-7.280 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kirby will post 6.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In related news, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 34,152 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.05, for a total value of $4,441,467.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,241 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,776,242.05. This trade represents a 25.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.68, for a total transaction of $477,892.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 3,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $430,224.20. The trade was a 52.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 71,495 shares of company stock worth $9,226,173 in the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kirby

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KEX. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kirby by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 491,355 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $49,632,000 after acquiring an additional 114,618 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Kirby by 152.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 182,565 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $18,441,000 after acquiring an additional 110,320 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Kirby by 68.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,096 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $2,279,000 after acquiring an additional 8,174 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Kirby by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 96,565 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $10,951,000 after acquiring an additional 3,292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Kirby by 52,000.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,084 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 2,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Kirby Company 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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