Stephens Inc. AR Reduces Stake in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX)

Stephens Inc. AR lowered its position in Kirby Co. (NYSE:KEX) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,937 shares of the shipping company’s stock after selling 397 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Kirby were worth $1,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Kirby by 0.7% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,462 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,526,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Kirby by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Kirby by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,459 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Kirby by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,668 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its position in Kirby by 2.2% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,683 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $818,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.15% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KEX. StockNews.com cut Kirby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.25.

Insider Transactions at Kirby

In other Kirby news, VP Scott P. Miller sold 1,244 shares of Kirby stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.61, for a total value of $133,866.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 5,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,697.45. The trade was a 18.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard Ross Stewart sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.21, for a total value of $1,025,680.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,985,716.48. This trade represents a 34.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Kirby Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:KEX opened at $106.00 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a PE ratio of 21.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Kirby Co. has a 1 year low of $83.24 and a 1 year high of $132.21.

Kirby (NYSE:KEX) 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 return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 8.78%. On average, equities analysts predict that Kirby Co. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

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.