Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell 17.6% to 1,386,445 shares as of April 15, about 2.6% of the float, with a days-to-cover ratio of roughly 2.1.
• Significant insider selling — COO Christian O'Neil sold 11,287 shares and VP Scott Miller sold 3,960, and insiders sold 71,495 shares (~$9.23M) over the quarter, leaving insiders with about 0.80% ownership.
• Q1 beat and guidance set — Kirby reported $1.50 EPS on $844.1M revenue (both above estimates), issued FY2026 guidance of $6.65–$7.28 EPS, and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average price target of $142.20.

Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,386,445 shares, a drop of 17.6% from the March 31st total of 1,681,671 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 648,183 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other Kirby news, COO Christian G. O'neil sold 11,287 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.34, for a total value of $1,493,721.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 11,287 shares in the company, valued at $1,493,721.58. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Scott P. Miller sold 3,960 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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. This represents a 52.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,495 shares of company stock valued at $9,226,173. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kirby

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Maseco LLP bought a new position in Kirby during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in Kirby during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 2,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 537.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 306 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Kirby Stock Performance

NYSE:KEX traded down $3.84 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $148.75. 563,455 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 765,815. Kirby has a one year low of $79.51 and a one year high of $157.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.53. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $135.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 23.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.83.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The shipping company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.08. Kirby had a net margin of 10.54% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The business had revenue of $844.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $835.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $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. Analysts anticipate that Kirby will post 6.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Kirby from $147.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Kirby from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Kirby from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kirby from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kirby currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $142.20.

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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