Kirby (NYSE:KEX) Hits New 1-Year High at $115.82

Shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $115.82 and last traded at $115.73, with a volume of 53175 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $113.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kirby from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Kirby in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $126.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Kirby in a research note on Monday, February 5th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on Kirby from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Kirby from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $116.00.

Kirby Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $6.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.14. The business's fifty day moving average price is $96.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The shipping company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $808.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $784.49 million. Kirby had a return on equity of 8.00% and a net margin of 8.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 5.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 6,705 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.05, for a total value of $637,310.25. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $95,050. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 6,705 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.05, for a total value of $637,310.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $95,050. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David W. Grzebinski sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.44, for a total value of $1,537,920.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 66,399 shares in the company, valued at $5,673,130.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,609 shares of company stock worth $3,792,258 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kirby

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Kirby by 28.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 551 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Kirby by 1.2% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Kirby by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 17,847 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Kirby by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 26,157 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $2,166,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in Kirby by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 74,214 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $7,074,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

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.