Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $6.31 Million Position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Heartland Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 26.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,459 shares of the shipping company's stock after selling 28,336 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Kirby worth $6,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Kirby by 1.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,015,915 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $498,118,000 after buying an additional 64,420 shares in the last quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 139,848 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $10,975,000 after acquiring an additional 14,201 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Kirby in the fourth quarter worth about $1,337,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in Kirby by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 738,377 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $57,947,000 after purchasing an additional 24,040 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 168.1% during the third quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 10,891 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 6,828 shares in the last quarter. 96.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kirby Price Performance

NYSE:KEX traded up $2.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $117.55. 562,347 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 424,879. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.79, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.14. Kirby Co. has a 12 month low of $71.21 and a 12 month high of $118.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $100.35 and a 200 day moving average of $86.88.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The shipping company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.22. Kirby had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 7.96%. The business had revenue of $808.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $784.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. Kirby's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Kirby Co. will post 5.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kirby

In related news, CFO Raj Kumar sold 1,670 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total value of $146,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 5,617 shares in the company, valued at $494,296. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Dorman Lynn Strahan sold 2,470 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.72, for a total value of $285,828.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,150,540.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Raj Kumar sold 1,670 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.00, for a total value of $146,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 5,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $494,296. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 37,649 shares of company stock worth $3,861,546. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

About Kirby

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.