Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) Shares Acquired by Oberweis Asset Management Inc.

Oberweis Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,950 shares of the shipping company's stock after buying an additional 3,700 shares during the quarter. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.10% of Kirby worth $6,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Kirby by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Kirby by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,781 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in Kirby by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 29,047 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,073,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Kirby by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,914 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $3,271,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in Kirby by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 25,508 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $2,699,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 5,545 shares in the company, valued at $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on KEX shares. StockNews.com cut Kirby from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Kirby from $136.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Kirby from $133.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th.

Kirby Price Performance

Shares of KEX traded down $1.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $94.32. 156,378 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 531,545. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.14. Kirby Co. has a fifty-two week low of $83.94 and a fifty-two week high of $132.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The shipping company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.01). Kirby had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 9.71%. As a group, research analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.