Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Receives Hold (C+) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c+)" rating reiterated by analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report released on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

KEX has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Kirby from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Kirby from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Kirby in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.50.

Kirby Stock Up 0.9%

KEX stock opened at $82.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Kirby has a fifty-two week low of $80.45 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $91.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.81. The stock has a market cap of $4.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.00.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The shipping company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.08. Kirby had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 10.02%. The business had revenue of $855.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $851.94 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kirby will post 6.57 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEX. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Kirby by 72.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,282,865 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $258,900,000 after purchasing an additional 959,209 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kirby during the second quarter valued at approximately $78,256,000. Hood River Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Kirby during the second quarter valued at approximately $73,784,000. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its position in Kirby by 24.8% during the first quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 1,954,698 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $197,444,000 after purchasing an additional 389,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in Kirby by 122.3% in the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 633,812 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $64,022,000 after acquiring an additional 348,665 shares during the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kirby Company 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.

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